The Triangle of Terror
by LuckyDuck29
Summary: Sequel to Daddy's Here and set ten years in the future. Kendra, Spinelli and Georgie deal with three separate problems, but also try to help each other deal with them. Secrets are kept, more secrets are revealed and the entire family is affected.
1. Chapter 1

Kendra woke on her first day of school with a mixture of eagerness and apprehension. Port Charles Middle School was unfamiliar territory. But she would be with her best friend, who also happened to be her cousin, Emma Drake. They hoped they would have the same classes. She was nervous, but overall, she was looking forward to sixth grade. Like her father, she loved to learn and soaked up information like a sponge.

"Greetings, Empathic One," her father said with a smile when she came down for breakfast.

She smiled back. Her dad's nicknames were one of his most endearing qualities, and he had many; she idolized him.

"Hi, Daddy," she said, kissing his cheek. "Where's Mom?"

"She's waking up your brother and sisters. Kevin is not looking forward to preschool. He doesn't wanna leave home."

He put a plate in front of her with waffles, eggs and bacon.

"Thanks," she said, beginning to cut up her waffles. "Ivy's nervous about third grade, too."

"What about you and Maxie?"

"Maxie's never afraid of anything," Kendra said dryly.

Spinelli laughed.

"Besides, she's going into fifth grade; same school, same kids. I'm a little nervous, but I'm excited, too."

"Don't you hate mixed feelings?"

She grinned and nodded.

Their newly acquired puppy, a black lab named Chewbacca, came padding into the kitchen." Chewie had been Kendra's birthday present.

"Hey, Furry One," Spinelli said, smiling as he reached down to pet him.

Chewie nuzzled his hand and rubbed against him, wanting more attention. Kendra grinned and put food and water down for him as her father picked up the affectionate puppy.

"He's an attention sponge."

"He is," Spinelli agreed, laughing as the dog licked his ear.

Everyone always used his last name and had since before she was born. He preferred it because Damien, although intended to mean sweet and harmless, which summed him up perfectly, had a bad reputation for being the name of the Antichrist. Only the people closest to him knew his middle name was Millhouse and Kendra would never tell anyone, not even if they tortured her forever! She knew how cruel others could be and people were mean enough to her father just because he didn't talk like most people.

Kendra's adoptive mother, Georgie, came down then with Maxie, Ivy and Kevin. Maxie had been named after Mom's sister, who had died before Kendra was born. Kendra had known about her biological mom, Jolene, since she was seven, but Georgie had and always would be her mother.

"Do I have to go to preschool, Daddy?" Kevin asked as Spinelli put Chewbacca down and washed his hands before preparing plates for Kendra's younger siblings.

Chewie ran immediately over to his bowl and began gobbling his food with intense pleasure. He always ate as if he'd never been fed before.

Kendra knew Georgie had already told Kevin he had to go. He was going through a phase now where he tried to get a satisfactory answer from one parent if he didn't get it from the other. She wondered how long it would take him before he learned that it wouldn't work.

"Yes, Kevin," Maxie said impatiently, always irritable in the morning. "If we have to go, you have to go. All kids have to go to school."

"I didn't ask you; I asked Daddy!"

"That's enough, you two," Georgie said firmly, pouring coffee for herself. "It's too early in the morning; I don't want you bickering."

"Mom's right, small ones; if your day starts out bad it usually gets worse."

He put Kevin's plate in front of him, then asked the same question he always asked when he knew Georgie had already given Kevin an answer.

"What does Mommy say?"

"She says I have to go."

"Then you have to go."

"You'll love it, Kevin," Kendra said. "You'll have other kids to play with and Jimmy and Freddy will be there, too."

Jimmy Savage and Freddy Jordan were Kevin's best friends. Freddy was also Kendra's biological cousin because he was Aunt Nadine's son and Aunt Nadine was Jolene's sister. She had married their parents' friend, Terry Jordan, about five years ago. Uncle TJ was a lot like her dad.

"Just listen to the teachers like you do Mommy and Daddy and you'll be fine," Ivy said.

The doorbell rang.

"That's Emma," Kendra said.

She grabbed her backpack, kissed her parents and ran outside. She and Emma had been given permission to ride their bikes to school this year instead of having their parents drop them off.

"Be careful," Spinelli called to them from the kitchen window.

"We will,' Kendra promised, knowing he was worried about careless motorists.

"I wish my parents were more like yours," Emma said. "My mom and dad repeated every bicycle rule in the book before I left."

**Kendra grinned.**

"**My dad wanted to do that, too; I could tell. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he doesn't want me to think he doesn't trust me. I know he does; he just worries too much. Mom and Uncle Jason say he always has. He's just better now at hiding it."**

"**Do you think Jake Morgan will notice me today?"**

**Kendra shrugged. Jake was their friend, but Emma had a huge crush on him and had all summer.**

**Jake was Uncle Jason's son and Uncle Jason was Spinelli's best friend. He married Aunt Elizabeth when Kendra was little and she and her boys went to live with him in his penthouse. Spinelli said Uncle Jason had also been with Sam McCall, now Sam Spencer, briefly when Kendra and Maxie were babies, but that Uncle Jason and Aunt Elizabeth were destined to be together, as were Sam and Lucky. Kendra liked Sam; she worked with Dad. Valerie, Sam and Lucky's adopted daughter, was Kendra's friend, but Kendra didn't like Detective Spencer very much.**

"**You look nice," she said, trying to evade the question.**

**She didn't want to tell Emma that Jake wasn't interested in any girls yet in that way. He was too preoccupied with motorcycles, a passion he'd recently picked up when his father took him for a ride.**

"**Thanks, but do you think Jake will think so?"**

"**You'll have to ask him."**

**Kendra tried to hide her annoyance. This Jake obsession was wearing thin.**

"**I can't ask him!" Emma said, horrified. "How transparent would that be!"**

"**How is he supposed to know you like him if you don't tell him?"**

"**You could tell him."**

"**What am I supposed to do? Do you want me to just go up to him and blurt out that you like him?"**

"**No, be subtle! Feel him out and try to find out if he likes me, then tell him to ask me out or something."**

"**Who do you like?" Valerie asked, riding up beside them. "Emma, please don't tell me you're still mooning over Jake Morgan!"**

**Valerie had picked up on her father's dislike of Uncle Jason and projected it on to Jake. Even Lucky had told her not to do that. He had lost custody of Jake when Aunt Elizabeth had married Uncle Jason and he had claimed Jake as his son. Lucky resented Uncle Jason to this day and passed that resentment on to his kids, Valerie and Danny, both adopted. Valerie had been named before she'd been adopted. Danny, five years younger than Valerie, had been adopted on the day of his birth and had been named after Sam's dead brother. But Lucky still loved Jake and didn't want his kids to treat him badly because of their fathers' mutual animosity.**

**Officer Spencer hated that Valerie was friends with Kendra. He didn't like Spinelli because he was friends with Jason. Kendra thought it was stupid of Officer Spencer to hate her dad because he was friends with his X-wife's husband. But her dad had told her that another reason Officer Spencer didn't' like him was because he was a PI and Officer Spencer considered him an enemy of the police. It didn't matter that Spinelli had actually helped the police on some cases and that many of the police, including Jimmy Savage's father, Darrin, respected his PI skills and considered him a friend; Lucky Spencer had his own views and no amount of logic or reasoning would change them.**

"**Why are you so down on Jake?" Emma demanded. "Your dad loves him."**

"**Oh please, my dad doesn't even see Jake unless he just happens to be there when Dad picks up Cameron for his weekend visits."**

"**Do you guys really have to have this argument again?" Kendra asked irritably. "You never get anywhere; you always go around in circles."**

**Kendra hated having to play mediator between Valerie and Emma. She didn't know it, but she was going to have to do a lot more than play mediator very soon, and for a very long time.**

"**OK," Emma said, "we'll drop it."**

**Valerie nodded reluctantly. They both liked Kendra and knew she hated being stuck in the middle. None of them knew that Kendra would soon be forced to choose sides and that the choices the three of them made over the next few weeks would affect their entire school year, and maybe the rest of their lives.**


	2. Chapter 2

**After Georgie left with the girls, Spinelli approached his only son, who was sitting on the couch staring sadly at the TV. He would drop Kevin off at the preschool before going to the office. He had told Georgie he wanted to have a talk with Kevin before he went to school and see if he could figure out why he was so against the idea.**

**Spinelli and Georgie were the founders of the Jackal PI Detective Agency, which employed four part-time private investigators, including Georgie, and six full-time investigators, including Spinelli, Sam and Jason. When Georgie wasn't working as a PI, she was writing. She wrote PI novels under a pen name, Bella Carson. She never did book signings or tours and had no book jacket photos, mostly to keep herself and her family out of the public eye and away from crazy fans. All of this was due to the almost insistent advice of her agent. Georgie herself thought it was silly; she was no celebrity. But she went along with it to appease Alexandra's almost paranoid belief that every client she had was in potential danger.**

**Georgie had a different reason. She felt that if people knew Bella Carson was Georgie Spinelli, it might hinder her PI duties. If she needed to go under cover, she couldn't run the risk of someone recognizing her. She worked mostly as their profiler, using her psychology degree, but employed her PI license when necessary. Spinelli was immensely proud of his beautiful, intelligent wife, and also of their kids.**

**When Kendra was seven, Maxie six and Ivy four, the family fulfilled Georgie's dream of traveling abroad and went to Ibiza. It had been incredible and Spinelli and Georgie had video taped everything they could. Ibiza was where Kevin, the youngest of the Spinelli children at age three, had been conceived. The Ibiza tapes were the kids' favorite home movies.**

"**What's wrong, Little Mack?" Spinelli asked, using the diminutive of his son's middle name, Malcolm, after Georgie's adoptive father, who had retired last year and married Jolene's grandmother, Joanna. "Why don't you wanna go to school?"**

"**What if they don't like me?"**

**Spinelli smiled, pulling him onto his lap.**

"**There are at least two kids there who like you already. Jimmy and Freddy like you. As for the other kids, you won't get them to like you if you stay home because they won't be able to get to know you. Mrs. Benson likes you."**

"**She's a teacher. She has to like me."**

**Spinelli fought to keep from laughing. Kevin and Maxie had sharp tongues, quick tempers and strong opinions, much like their deceased aunt.**

"**Well, if you go to school and show her what a good kid you are, she'll like you because she wants to, not because she has to, and the other kids will see that you're a good friend, so they'll like you, too."**

"**Are you sure?"**

"**You'll make a lot of friends."**

**He looked at the clock; they had to leave soon or they would both be late. He was the boss, but he felt that didn't give him the right to fudge his own schedule; he was on time as much as possible. He expected the same things from himself as he did from his employees. But he didn't want to force Kevin out the door before he was ready either. Allaying his son's fears was more important than the clock.**

"**Will you do something for me?"**

"**What?"**

"**Go to school today and then when you get home, tell me one thing you liked. If you can find one thing, you can find others. Tell me one activity you liked and one person, besides Freddy and Jimmy."**

"**OK," he said reluctantly.**

**He was still very unsure, but Spinelli thought he could get him to school now without Kevin feeling abandoned when he left, or being too scared to walk in the door.**

"**Good," he said, kissing the top of the boy's head and standing up with him still in his arms. "Time to go."**

**It was better to leave now, before Kevin's fear could take hold again and he changed his mind.**

"**Do we have to go right now?"**

**Spinelli knew Kevin wasn't being difficult. He was genuinely nervous.**

"**Yes, because I have to go to the Agency after I drop you off."**

"**Can't I stay with you today, please?"**

"**Remember what you agreed to do?"**

"**Yeah, but can't I do it tomorrow?"**

**He locked the door and engaged the security system as he spoke.**

"**No, Shrewd One," he said, smiling, "you can't negotiate your way out of this one. Everyone has to do things they don't wanna do and going to school falls under that category."**

**With Mrs. Benson's permission, Spinelli waited a few minutes, watching his son get settled before leaving for the Agency. Kevin had tried not to cry when he said goodbye, but couldn't help it. Spinelli had promised it would only be a few hours and that Georgie would be back for him soon, then reminded him to look for one positive thing and one person he liked in school. Kevin agreed, accepted his father's hug and reluctantly followed Mrs. Lewis, the teacher's assistant, off to his table.**

**A red-haired little girl sat next to him and began to talk to him. Kevin looked at her hesitantly for a moment, then responded. To Spinelli's relief, he was confident that he could now leave his son without feeling as if he were abandoning him.**

**As he drove to the Agency, he reflected on how proud and relieved he was that his children were being more socially accepted than he'd been. One of his biggest fears was that one or more of them would be forced into isolation as he had been. So far, he and Georgie had managed to keep that from being a problem, although he credited Georgie with most of their success in that department.**

"**Warmest greetings," he said as he walked into the office.**

**His secretary, Paula, had told him Sam and Jason needed to speak with him urgently and were waiting in his office. Spinelli was technically the big boss, but he considered himself, Georgie, Sam and Jason to be equal partners in the Agency. Each had some advantage the others lacked, and those advantages together made the four of them a formidable counsel of elders. Spinelli thought of them that way because they were the first to receive their PI licenses and join the Agency. Spinelli and Georgie were the founders and Sam had joined them a few months later. Jason had joined them two years later, when he'd finally found a way out of the mob and into the life he had wanted for so long with Elizabeth, Jake and Cameron.**

"**Hi," Sam said. "I went to Jason with this first because he happened to be here, and because of his mob expertise. We need to show you something."**

"**Hey," Jason said in response to Spinelli's greeting, scanning a folder. "It's about the Christopher case."**

"**New development?"**

"**Yeah, and I don't like where it's headed."**

**He took out some pictures from the folder and handed them to Spinelli, who looked at them closely, immediately understanding Jason's concern. Until that point, after Stone Cold had mentioned the Christopher case, he'd been wondering why his friend would look so concerned over a cheating spouse case.**

"**That's not good."**

"**I know. Ellen Christopher is cheating on Peter with Milo, but this makes it even worse."**

**He took out a document. Spinelli took it and his eyes widened.**

"**Our client is the son of the deceased Russian Rogue?"**

"**Your protégé found that piece of information last night," Sam said. "You know, Steve reminds me a lot of you the way you were when we met. He said he was trying to impress you by finding out as much on our client as he could and he came up with this. I think Stephen Bennett's gonna be a real asset to the Agency. That other guy, though, Larry Crawford, I'm not sure about him."**

"**So do I, in the case of Stephen, as long as he doesn't get himself into trouble like I used to. As for Larry, he's still a newbie."**

"**He's arrogant and cocky," Sam said, "and he doesn't act like a team player."**

"**Hence the trial period for newbies. If he doesn't shape up by the time that's over, we'll do something about him.**

"**Steve's a newbie, too," Jason said, "and he doesn't act like that. You learned from your mistakes. If he gets into trouble, Steve will learn from his, too. I don't know that I can say the same for Larry."**

"**Fortunately for me, I had a more than understanding employer at the time. We'll see what happens when their trial periods are up. Larry may gain the confidence and experience to warrant at least a little of that attitude, or he may tank. Stephen may keep succeeding, or he may make a huge mistake and tank. You never know."**

"**Speaking of employers," Sam asked, "what are we gonna do about Peter Christopher? Do you think he's trying to pick up where his father left off? Do you think he's in the mob, too?"**

"**I think we should dig deeper. We don't know that he even knows Karpov was his father. It may be more of a shock to him than it was to us."**

"**Are you and Stephen gonna work on that part together?" Jason asked.**

"**Yes."**

"**What do you want me and Sam to do?"**

**Spinelli felt a familiar sense of role reversal. He was Jason's boss now and sometimes he still had trouble getting his head around that fact, even after eight years.**

"**Keep following his wife and monitoring her activities. I don't have to tell you to keep in mind who we may be dealing with now, and I don't mean Milo."**

"**Do you think we should consider dropping this one?" Sam asked.**

**Spinelli considered the question very carefully before answering. He could make this decision without Georgie because she was only part-time and had told him to make all the big decisions. She relegated herself mostly to cases now, practical, hands on work. But he kept her informed and used her as a sounding board when he needed advice. There were times when she was a tie breaker if Sam and Jason had differing opinions. He listened to all three of them and then made his decision based on the facts, as well as the majority opinion, the majority being two to one. Sam and Jason would defer to Spinelli, but Spinelli valued both the opinions of his wife and his best friends.**

"**Not yet. It's not exactly a conflict of interest, since we're not associated with the mob anymore. Once Stone Cold gave the business to the Giambetti's, he honestly severed all ties, personally and professionally. All we're doing is giving our client the information he requested."**

"**But what about Karpov?" Jason asked. "If Peter knows he's his son and if he's in the mob, he might be trying to claim the territory he thinks belonged to his father, or maybe he'll try to get revenge because Sonny killed Karpov. Sonny's dead, but Max and Milo worked for him."**

"**So did you. So did I, technically. If Peter knew that, and if he knew that Karpov was his father, don't you think he'd have come after us first? I mean, you were Mr. Sir's enforcer and I was your tech guy, as well as your friend. Why would he hire the detectives who used to work for the guy who murdered his father?"**

"**You have a point, but Max and Milo run Sonny's organization now; he might use this against them as an excuse to start a war."**

"**We can't get involved in that. We'll give Peter the information on Ellen and Milo and he'll deal with it from there."**

"**But if he knows he's Karpov's son-"**

"**Then we'll drop it. We don't wanna be the cause of a mob war."**

"**We've definitely seen enough of those," Jason agreed.**

"**Steve and I will look into this. If he's in the mob and he knows who his father was, we'll get out of it. You developed a reputation as Mr. Sir's enforcer; it would be very plausible to drop the case due to conflict of interest in that situation."**

**They would not have the time to get out of it. They were already unknowingly on Karpov's successor's radar.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Georgie let herself in after dropping the girls off at school, intending to write before she had to go pick up Kevin. A small part of her expected to see him and Spinelli still at home. But she smiled when she saw the garage was empty. Spinelli must have made some sort of bargain with him, while at the same time soothing his fears. As with Georgie, Spinelli always managed to make their kids feel better.**

**She reengaged the security system and greeted Chewbacca, who was standing by the front door with a "feel sorry for me; I've been abandoned" look on his face, the way he always did when the house was empty. She went downstairs into the office with Chewie following close behind, intending to make sure she didn't leave him again.**

**They had had the house built rather than buying one so they could tailor it specifically to their needs. They had told the architect what they wanted and the house was built while they were in Ibiza.**

**Spinelli and Georgie shared an office. The kids came in there to do their homework, too. They had encouraged that because that way they could check the kids' homework, not only to give them assistance, but to make sure, mostly in the case of Maxie, that it was completed. She didn't have much interest in school.**

**The downstairs level consisted of the kitchen, dining room, a bathroom and the living room. The basement was split into two rooms; one was the office and the other was the kids' play room. The upstairs level was where the second bathroom and the bedrooms were. Above the upstairs level was the attic, which was used for storage.**

**She reached for the phone, intending to call Spinelli and ask him how he'd managed to convince Kevin that school was not a death sentence, when it rang before she could pick it up.**

"**Hello?"**

"**Hi, Georgie," Alexandra Parker, her agent, said in a subdued tone.**

"**Hi, Alex. What's wrong?"**

"**You just got your first weird fan letter."**

"**OK," Georgie said cautiously. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. What did the letter say? Can you fax it over?"**

"**I'm not sure that's a good idea. I wanted to warn you, but I don't wanna scare you."**

**Georgie smiled affectionately at her friend's usual over protective attitude.**

"**I don't scare easily, Alex. I'm a part-time private investigator and my husband is full-time. We work in an agency of ten, including us and Spinelli's best friend. I'm sure we can handle a not so normal fan letter."**

"**OK, but I gotta warn you, it's pretty creepy."**

"**Well, maybe I'll use it in one of my PI books. Famous writer hires Jack Millhouse to find out who's been sending her weird fan mail."**

**Jack Millhouse was her private investigator in her books; it was her way of honoring Spinelli, who of course was her model. Jack for The Jackal and Millhouse for his middle name.**

**She was half joking. She didn't consider herself famous and she honestly wasn't worried. After all, it was only one letter.**

"**Can I bring it over to you in person? I can be there in half an hour. I'd really rather see you face to face when you see this."**

"**OK," she said, still not understanding why Alex was being so overly anxious about this. "See you in half an hour."**

**When Alex arrived and showed her the letter, Georgie's joking mood evaporated and she understood immediately why her friend and agent had been so concerned. The letter was written in red ink on white paper. It wasn't so much the words, but the vibe Georgie got from it; the red ink looked like blood and the words were written in slashing, almost angry strokes. There was no return address, no name, just five words with a picture of her pasted below them. The note read simply, "I know who you are."**

**The picture was taken from an article in the newspaper about a case the Agency had cracked a few months ago, a psycho who had kidnapped his neighbor and intended to force her to marry him. When he found out that the neighbor's husband had hired Jackal PI, which not only referred to Spinelli but the Agency, he had issued a challenge to Spinelli personally to find her, claiming that he wanted to see if Spinelli could live up to his position as head of the Agency. He was testing Spinelli's authority. He could have all the help he needed, but Spinelli himself had to be the one to find the woman and catch him. He gave them forty-eight hours and Spinelli, Georgie, Steve Bennett and Jason had found them in twenty-four. When Steve wondered why he didn't stay on the move in order to make it harder for them to be found, Spinelli told him the kidnapper wanted to be caught. Steve idolized Spinelli and believed everything he told him without question. He had believed it, but hadn't understood it, so Georgie had given him the names of some psychology texts she'd read over the years and had suggested that he read them for incite into the deranged mind.**

"**Are you gonna tell Spinelli?" the red-head asked with concern.**

"**Yeah," Georgie said thoughtfully. "I don't wanna worry him, but I don't keep secrets from him."**

"**Well, that's good. Maybe he can help you find out who sent it. I really think you should consider this a threat, Georgie."**

**She nodded.**

"**I'm sorry I was so flippant with you before. You were right; this is creepy."**

"**Fortunately, this is the only one, so far. If anymore come, I'll make sure not to leave fingerprints. I've learned a few things from your PI books. If anymore come, I'll consider them evidence and not contaminate it."**

"**Thanks," Georgie said, trying to smile.**

**When Alex left, Georgie called Paula to see if Spinelli was free. Relieved to find out he was, she asked her to tell him she was on her way. Something had come up and she needed to see him immediately.**

"**What's wrong?" Spinelli asked with concern, instantly alerted by the look on her face. "Is it one of the kids?"**

"**No, they're fine. I just got my first weird fan letter."**

**She took it out of her purse and showed it to him. He stared, becoming as worried as she felt.**

"**I don't think a dusting for fingerprints will turn up much," Georgie said, trying to sound professionally detached, as if this were happening to one of their clients. "Alex and I have both touched it."**

"**We'll try, anyway," Spinelli said, as she knew he would. "We might get lucky."**

**The knowledge that she could predict that he would say that was comforting. This was something they knew. They knew how to find bad guys. Maybe this was just a prankster, but knowing that she and Spinelli were going to handle this as private investigators gave her a sense of control that she'd lost temporarily when Alex had shown her the letter. Now, with the reassuring presence of her husband and their fellow investigators, her control was back.**

"**Maybe we should get Lisa to examine the handwriting, too."**

"**Good idea," he said.**

**Lisa Robins was their handwriting expert.**

**At this point, speculation on why he wanted her to know he knew her identity was not worth considering. They didn't know enough yet, which was just as well because Georgie wasn't sure she wanted to know what this person wanted. In fact, part of her wished Alex had just thrown the letter away and written it off as a prank instead of bringing it to her attention.**

**Sensing and sharing her anxiety, he put his arms around her, acting as her husband now, not as her fellow PI.**

"**We'll figure this out," he promised gently.**

"**I know," she said, hugging him back.**

**This incident was far from over, and before it was finally resolved, Georgie would be more grateful than she would have ever imagined for The Jackal PI Investigative Team.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Kendra didn't have all her classes with Emma, but they did have Math and History together and they shared a table at lunch. Kendra's day was uneventful, but Emma's was obviously not. She and Valerie had all their classes together. Kendra was in the advanced placement section, but she had classes with Jake, who had had some problems in third grade and been kept back a year. Now he was one of the top students in his class.**

**Before Emma showed up for lunch, Kendra felt Jake out about her, as she had asked.**

"**She's OK, for a girl," Jake said.**

"**What's that supposed to mean?"**

**Jake shrugged. He was quiet, like his father.**

"**I did what you asked, Kendra told Emma when Jake went to get his tray. "He said you're OK for a girl, whatever that means."**

"**that was all?"**

**She nodded with a shrug.**

"**You know how he is about not expressing himself."**

"**Yeah, just like Uncle Jason," Emma said with annoyance.**

**Like Kendra and her siblings, Uncle Patrick and Aunt Robin's kids also referred to him as their uncle, even though they were not biologically related.**

"**Did something happen? You look upset."**

"**Look over there."**

**Emma pointed to a table off to their right. Valerie sat with two other girls and they kept turning away everyone who tried to join them.**

"**That table is invitation only," she said with disgust. "Stephanie and Jennifer invited Valerie, but they wouldn't let me join them and I was gonna invite you to join us, too."**

**Kendra shrugged.**

"**Well, Valerie doesn't wanna sit with Jake and she knows we're his friends. Who are Stephanie and Jennifer?"**

"**Stephanie Baldwin and Jennifer Daniels. They're both snobs. What's Valerie doing with them and why can't we join them?"**

"**it doesn't matter. Valerie follows her own rules; you know that. As for those two, who cares what they think? They don't even know us, and from what you've told me I don't think I want to know them."**

**Emma sulked all through lunch. Jake and Kendra did most of the talking. On the way home, Emma barely said a word. Valerie and her friends had snubbed her the rest of the day. When she saw her cousin's half-hearted wave when they reached her house, Kendra knew already that this was going to be a very long year if Emma was going to take Valerie's behavior, and the behavior of strangers, so personally.**

**When she reached her house, she had a feeling something was wrong. Mom was quiet and she was being short with Kevin. Ivy and Maxie were doing homework, but Kevin was being a typical three year-old. Shortness was uncharacteristic for Georgie. **

"**Story not going well?" Kendra asked.**

"**Disgruntled fan," Georgie said vaguely.**

"**Well, Daddy says you can't please everyone."**

**Georgie nodded absently.**

**Even her dad was acting subtly different when he got home a couple of hours later. Kendra noticed, but none of the other kids did. She had **always been sensitive to his moods and reacted to them, which was why he called her his Empathic One. It was clear to her that he was worried about something.

"What's wrong?" she asked when they were alone.

"A case that I thought would be simple just became very complicated; we may have to drop it."

"Why?"

"Conflict of interest; we used to know some of the people involved, only we didn't know they were involved until today."

"Is something wrong with Mom? She said she had a disgruntled fan, but knowing her I wouldn't think that would bother her as much as it does."

"I think it was just a shock," he said, not looking at her.

She was surprised. Was he keeping something from her? He'd never done that before. But her parents had taught her to respect people's privacy, so she didn't push. Maybe it was one of those grownup things they didn't want the kids to know about.

**A few minutes later, Emma called her in tears. Valerie had supposedly given her new friends Emma's screen name and they were sending her nasty messages. She read some of them to Kendra, who was appalled.**

"**How can they say those things? They don't even know you!"**

"**Valerie must have said those things and they're repeating them."**

"**Why would Valerie do that? She's your friend."**

"**Not after today she's not!"**

"**Wait, Emma; you don't know anything for sure. Talk to Valerie first."**

"**Why should I after the way she treated me today?"**

"**Then I'll talk to her. Don't do anything until I do and get back to you, OK?"**

"**Fine, but she better have a good excuse! Wait; I have a better idea. Put her on three way with us and I'll be quiet. Talk to her with me listening so I can hear her for myself. I trust you; I just wanna hear what she has to say for herself and I don't want her trying to get out of it because she knows I'm there."**

**Kendra didn't feel right about it, but she agreed. Emma had a temper and Kendra thought it would be better if she played mediator, as she'd done countless times before. Being alone with either one of them was usually OK, but sometimes the two of them together made her want to throw something through a wall, preferably one or both of them.**

"**Hey," Valerie said.**

"**Hi. Did you give your new friends Emma's screen name? She just called me before and she's really upset."**

"**Why would I give them Emma's screen name? She doesn't even like them. I don't know what her problem is; she won't even give them a chance."**

"**Valerie, you treated her at lunch like she wasn't even there."**

"**It wasn't my fault Stephanie and Jennifer didn't want her there!"**

"**You just met them; Emma's been your friend since we were little."**

"**Look," Valerie sighed impatiently, "I like Emma, but she's so needy! I mean, she's so eager to be popular she'll do anything. Steph and Jen are the cool kids and they just don't think she's cool."**

"**But they do think you're cool?"**

"**Yeah," she said proudly.**

"**So what if they treated me like they did Emma? What if they started sending me nasty instant messages like they're sending her? Would you side with them?"**

"**Well, no, because you don't care about being cool. You'd rather be yourself. I mean-" she began quickly, trying to cover up her mistake.**

"**I know what you mean. I don't care about popularity. I don't have to be one of the cool kids; I'm proud of who I am."**

"**Yeah, so they have nothing you want. Emma wants it so bad she'd do anything to get it."**

"**You don't know that!"**

"**Kendra, you didn't see her today; it was so pathetic! She followed us around like a lost puppy!"**

**Kendra stroked her own puppy's head; he was lying at the bottom of her bed with his head between his paws. He sighed happily.**

"**Put yourself in her shoes, Valerie. You've been her friend for years and now, just because you've made a couple of new friends, you're ignoring her? Anyone would be hurt by that."**

**Valerie was silent for a moment, then sighed.**

"**You're right; I wasn't very nice. I'll call her later and apologize. My mom's calling me now, though. I gotta baby sit Danny while she goes to the store."**

"**See?" Kendra asked Emma when Valerie hung up. "She didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Call her and let her apologize and tomorrow everything will be back to normal."**

**But nothing would be normal for Kendra, or her parents, for a long time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Spinelli knocked on Kendra's door.**

"**Hold on," he heard her say; then she raised her voice slightly. "Come in."**

**He opened the door and poked his head in. Chewbacca looked up and thumped his tail against Kendra's bed.**

"**Dinner's ready."**

"**Thanks, Dad; be right there."**

**He smiled as he closed the door and headed downstairs. He had heard the tone of her conversation as he'd approached the door and had understood, without actually hearing the words, that she was comforting someone. No matter how small a problem seemed to her, she respected the feelings of anyone who considered it a big problem and tried to help them. That quality had frequently come in handy with her siblings.**

**Their kids were so different, but so similar. Kendra was the most like him; she had his mannerisms and adapted his vocabulary, especially during times of stress or excitement. Maxie was his Feisty One; headstrong, stubborn, occasionally opinionated. Georgie said that sometimes the similarities between their daughter and her namesake were scary. Precocious Ivy was quiet, more timid, more introverted. She lived in her own head much of the time and that worried Spinelli. He didn't want her to be isolated. Kevin, who was very shrewd and always looking to make a deal to get you to do what he wanted, was like Maxie in a lot of ways and he also saw some of himself in his son. He was a worrier, like Spinelli and Ivy. But when he got angry, that was when Maxie could be seen in him, and also Mack. But the family was close and their differences only served, in most cases, to compliment each other and strengthen their bond.**

"**Did you do what I asked you to do in school?" he asked Kevin at dinner.**

**Georgie gave him a questioning look.**

"**Yeah, I found three kids I like."**

"**Besides Jimmy and Freddy?"**

**Kevin nodded.**

"**Taylor Collins has read hair and her uncle works for you."**

"**He does?"**

"**Yeah, her uncle Larry. Her mommy is his sister."**

"**Larry Crawford," Spinelli thought, glancing at Georgie.**

"**Small world," Georgie mouthed at him, smiling.**

"**Who are the other two?" Georgie asked.**

"**Vanessa Carter and Michelle Matthews."**

"**Do Freddy and Jimmy like the girls?" Kendra asked.**

"**Yeah, we all played follow the leader. Mrs. Benson put us all in the same group when we were finger painting. I love finger painting! You can be messy without getting in trouble!"**

**The parents grinned.**

"**So that was the activity you liked," Spinelli said.**

"**Can I finger paint at home?"**

"**As long as you paint the paper and nothing else," Georgie said firmly.**

**Spinelli nodded.**

"**We'll pick up some paint and paper this weekend."**

**The office phone rang and Spinelli got up and ran to answer it.**

"**Hi, Spinelli," Steve Bennett said eagerly. "I found that information on Peter Christopher you wanted, the link to Andre Karpov."**

**Spinelli smiled. The kid was almost as fast and efficient as The Jackal.**

"**What did you find?"**

"**Peter was raised in New Jersey. Andre Karpov is the name on the birth certificate; his mother is listed as Sonia Donev."**

"**Wait; Sonia, not Sasha?"**

"**Right. Why? Does Sasha mean anything? She's Sonia's niece, if that helps."**

"**I didn't know about Sasha's family ; I didn't have to look that far into her background when I was dealing with her. He was raised in New Jersey?"**

"**Yes, he was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. John Christopher. Sonia gave him up immediately. She promised she would never try to get him back and the adoptive parents told her, according to the documents, that they never wanted him to know he was adopted."**

"**So as far as we know, he still thinks he's a Christopher, not a Karpov," Spinelli said with relief.**

"**Right, and there's no indication that he ever met Karpov or anyone connected to him. The adoption records were sealed; the adoptive parents had a fake birth certificate made up, probably through Karpov and/or Sonia."**

"**That's good; no conflict of interest, then," Spinelli thought. "The affair with Milo doesn't count; it's incidental."**

"**Thank you, Kindred One," he said. "You've done well."**

"**Do you want me to keep tabs on Peter?"**

**Spinelli thought for a moment. Even before he was an official investigator, people had withheld information from him and that information had eventually blown up in his client's face. Carly was a perfect example, although had Spinelli known he could not have stopped the explosion.**

**But it was unethical to spy on your own clients. Keeping tabs on Peter would probably do nothing productive, and possibly cause him to fire or sue them.**

"**No, just Ellen."**

"**What about Milo Giambetti?"**

"**Keep monitoring Ellen and keep track of her meetings with Milo, but don't monitor Milo personally."**

"**You got it, Boss."**

**Spinelli felt his face heat slightly, the way it always did when someone brought attention to his authority. He had told Georgie once that he'd never intended to be the boss of an entire organization. He'd been talking about the business and had told her that he and Stone Cold didn't want the power that came with running it. Sonny had craved that power and ironically had died a true hero, helping to save everyone in Port Charles from Trevor Lancing's plot to release the bio toxin on the unsuspecting citizens if he didn't get what he wanted. Now, Spinelli was the boss of an entire organization, just not the kind he'd meant at the time of his conversation with Georgie. It was still a fairly novel concept.**

"**Also, please transmit your findings to Stone Cold and Fair Samantha; they're gonna need to know."**

"**OK."**

**After hanging up with Stephen, he went back to finish dinner. Ivy was telling everyone about her first day. Georgie seemed distracted and he knew she was thinking about that red ink on that white paper, the slashing words "I know who you are" pasted above her picture. Kendra was attentive, but Spinelli thought she looked troubled, too. Maxie and Kevin looked bored.**

**He listened attentively as his kids described their first day of school experiences. Maxie complained about getting homework the first day. Ivy asked each of her parents to let her have something to bring to school that was important in their jobs. Kendra told them about Emma's experience with Valerie and expressed her frustration with both of them.**

**Spinelli had frequently been on the receiving end of the same treatment Valerie was giving Emma when he was in school. The difference was that the people who had snubbed him had not been friends; he had had no true friends before coming to Port Charles. He thought it was worse for Emma because Valerie had been her friend and was now betraying that friendship in the name of popularity. He hoped this wouldn't have an adverse affect on Kendra. He would give anything not to have any of his young ones experience that kind of pain. That included Emma, who he thought of as his niece. He wished there was something he could do.**

**What none of them knew was that Kendra's pain would be different. She would play the role of helpless observer, another role Spinelli knew too well. This was going to be a very trying school year for her, and also a trying year for her parents, both personally and professionally.**


	6. Chapter 6

"**Mommy," Kevin asked as Georgie tucked him into bed, "were you mad at me today?"**

"**No, Little Mack," she said apologetically, "it wasn't you. I wasn't even really mad either; I was just worried about something that's happening with my writing."**

"**Daddy seems worried, too."**

**Georgie had noticed that, too, and planned to ask him about it after the kids were in bed. She had a feeling it was more than her strange fan letter.**

"**Daddy has a lot to worry about at work; he's got a lot of responsibilities. Time to go to bed now. You don't wanna be too tired to finger paint tomorrow."**

**She kissed him.**

"**Good night."**

"**Good night."**

"**I love you. Daddy's coming now."**

"**OK. I love you, too."**

**As they passed in the hall, he smiled at her. She thought maybe whatever he'd been worried about had resolved itself. She smiled back and gave him the thumbs up sign.**

**Georgie and Spinelli didn't go to bed when the kids did. They stayed downstairs and talked, recapping their day and discussing any family projects or issues that might have come up during the day. It was Georgie's favorite part of the day. But her favorite days were the weekends when the entire family spent time together.**

"**You seemed distracted most of today," she said when they were sitting on the couch.**

"**We had an unexpected development in the Christopher case," he said, opening his orange soda. "He's Andre Karpov's son. But we found that he has no idea. Not only that, but Ellen Christopher is having an affair and her lover is Milo Giambetti."**

"**You're kidding!"**

**He shook his head.**

"**Are we dropping this one?"**

"**Not yet; it doesn't look like we'll have to. He has no idea he's a Karpov and it looks as if our task is almost completed. We know she's having an affair and with who. We just have to get the hard evidence to give to Peter."**

"**You will tell him who Milo is and what he does, right?"**

"**He's gotta know. He's safer knowing, actually, because he'll think twice about flying into a rage against a mobster."**

**Georgie nodded.**

"**Has Lisa come up with anything on my mystery fan?"**

**He nodded.**

"**You were right about the fingerprints, but Lisa says whoever wrote it is most likely female."**

**Georgie blinked.**

"**Why would a female send me a letter like that?"**

"**I don't know," he said thoughtfully.**

"**What are you thinking?"**

"**I'm not sure; that's what worries me. Something is nagging at the back of my mind, but I can't put my finger on it."**

"**Whoever she is, she seems angry. Did you see those slashing letters?"**

"**Lisa says it was written in a very passionate moment."**

"**I don't think I wanna know what that implies."**

"**I'm not sure I do either."**

"**Do you think there'll be anymore letters?"**

"**I almost hope there will be so we can find more clues and get to the bottom of this. That letter scared you badly and whoever wrote it has some explaining to do."**

**She knew he wasn't going to let this go. After Lulu had kidnapped Kendra, he would take no chances with Georgie or their children. He would find whoever had sent that letter. He would track them down and make them explain why, and then take appropriate action. In this case, that may just mean threatening to have the woman arrested, but he may go as far as to actually have her arrested and prosecuted. Either way, Georgie knew this wasn't over and would be relieved when it finally was. But at the same time, she hoped it was only a one-time thing, a prank or someone angry about something and needing to blow off steam. It was a strange way to do that, but at least it would be a rational explanation. She didn't want to believe she had a stalker, male or female.**

"**Do you think Valerie and her new friends are gonna target Kendra?" he asked. "I don't want them hurting Emma either, but-"**

"**I don't think there's anything we have to do about that for now. I know you wanna protect her, but there may be no reason to protect her; it may be just one of those little girl things that will blow over in a day or two."**

"**I hope you're right. Neither of them deserve such treatment, especially from someone who's been their friend for years."**

"**I've seen Valerie treat people like that before. Sometimes she's so much like Lulu you'd never know Valerie was adopted."**

**His eyes widened.**

"**What?" she asked. "What did I say?"**

**He hesitated.**

"**What?" she asked again, more insistently.**

"**I will tell you, but I don't wanna say anything until I check something out first. I don't wanna worry you if there's nothing to worry about."**

"**OK," she said reluctantly.**

**She wanted to know, but she trusted him. He wouldn't keep anything important from her, and if he was right about whatever he was thinking, he would tell her.**

**Chewbacca padded in and rubbed against Spinelli, whining for attention. The two of them scratched his neck and ears until he lay down in front of them. Spinelli drained his orange soda just as the office phone rang.**

**Georgie ran to answer this time, but Jason asked to speak to Spinelli. She called him to the phone, then went back up to the living room and waited for him to come back.**

**He came back looking distracted again.**

"**What happened?"**

"**Stone Cold remembered something and looked into it. I think we should give Peter Christopher the evidence we have and tell him we need to drop the case. He has a sister, and if he doesn't know he's a Karpov he doesn't know about her. But it's getting more complicated. This woman has picked up where her father left off, now that she's old enough, and wants to move into Port Charles."**

"**Max and Milo will take care of that, right?"**

"**Yes, but if she knows about Peter, we don't' wanna get caught in the middle. We'll warn him that there could be trouble from the mob so he won't go after Milo. I only hope it's enough to keep him away from the mob in general and out of sight of The Ambitious Heiress."**

"**So you're definitely dropping the case."**

**He nodded and she sighed with relief.**

"**I'm so glad you and Jason got out, and that Jason was able to get TJ out, but I hate that the mob element still exists in this town."**

**He nodded.**

"**Fortunately, this has been the first time we've really come up against it in ten years in the PI business. But we'll drop it tomorrow and put it in the archives. We'll tell Peter we can't be connected in any way with the mob because we don't want those types of associations. I always feel like I live in a glass house when I say that, but technically it's true and Stone Cold feels the same way."**

**They would drop the case, but that would not be the end of the Christopher case. Things were about to get even more complicated.**


	7. Chapter 7

**The rest of the week went pretty much the same as the first day of school. Valerie and her friends continued to snub Emma, but then Valerie always acted the same as she always had when they were alone. Kendra saw the hypocrisy, but Emma was just glad to have her friend back. She didn't have many. Kendra didn't know why. Emma was a sweet, intelligent, caring person. But for whatever reason, these three girls had decided that she was not worthy of their attention and did everything they could to make people react the same way.**

**Emma looked more and more unhappy every day and Kendra knew she would hate this school year. She had offered to go with her to tell a teacher about all the nasty messages and verbal comments they were making, but Emma refused and she refused to let Kendra tell anyone. She thought it would only make things worse.**

"**Why does she take it so personally?" Jake asked. "Valerie's always acted like she was better than you and Emma, and those other two don't even know her."**

"**Emma wants popularity."**

"**Why would anyone think those girls were popular. All they do is sit around with their noses in the air and judge other people."**

"**You're right, but try telling that to Emma."**

"**Why are girls so mean to each other?"**

"**I don't know," she sighed, "but Emma's coming back."**

**She put a finger to her lips, making sure Emma didn't see.**

**Talking with Valerie didn't do any good either. It was always the same argument. Emma was entirely too needy and craved popularity so much that it was pathetic. Kendra pointed out that Valerie was being two-faced and Valerie acted as if that was perfectly OK as long as Stephanie and Jennifer liked her. Kendra thought Valerie, not Emma, was the needy, pathetic one.**

**Robin asked to speak with Kendra privately at Sunday dinner. They went up to Kendra's room and Ant Robin asked her what was bothering Emma.**

"**She won't let me tell anyone. She thinks if the grownups know it'll only make things worse. I can't break her confidence."**

"**I know you've learned about privacy and confidentiality from your parents, Kendra, but my daughter needs help and she won't tell me what's wrong. She's treating Patrick and me like the enemy."**

"**It's not you; she's just taking it out on you. She's just having a fight with a few girls at school; it's nothing serious. She's just upset because Valerie's one of the girls."**

"**What are they doing to her? What are they saying?"**

"**I can't tell you and I don't think you can do anything, anyway. I mean, you can't stop Valerie and the other girls from saying what they wanna say. It's not gonna be physical or anything; it's just a bunch of words."**

"**I'm not so sure."**

"**None of the girls being mean to Emma would dare get physical with her or anybody else, Aunt Robin. They might break a nail and then their lives would be over."**

"**but what are they-"**

"**Aunt Robin, please don't ask me to tell you. Emma doesn't want me to and I don't want her to be mad at me."**

**Robin sighed.**

"**OK, I won't press you. But I hope this is over soon."**

"**Me, too."**

**Emma was quiet all through dinner. The kids tried to get her to join the conversation, but she picked at her food and said very little. Her mood was affecting Kendra. Spinelli noticed this and approached her when the Drakes had gone home.**

"**Are you and Emma fighting?"**

"**Not me and Emma; her and Valerie."**

"**More snubbing from Valerie's new friends?"**

"**How did you know?" she asked, surprised.**

"**You were telling us about it the first day of school."**

"**It's no worse, but it's no better either. Emma thinks it's the end of the world. Jake's right, though, Dad. I mean, what the heck does she see in those girls? Why would she think they were so cool if they're so mean?"**

"**I've never understood what makes some kids cool and kids like I was freaks and outcasts."**

"**You had people treat you like that?"**

**He nodded.**

"**I had no true friends until I came to Port Charles."**

"**How old were you when you came here from Oakfield?"**

"**Eighteen; I was attending PCU."**

"**But you didn't get your degree."**

**He shook his head.**

"**I met Uncle Jason and started working for him, then I got my PI license."**

"**Was Uncle Jason always a PI?"**

"**No, he was a coffee importer."**

"**Sounds boring."**

"**It had its moments. Don't worry about Emma. Unfortunately, there are many like her who need to feel accepted even by girls like Valerie and her friends. They'll forget all about her and move on to someone else to torture in a few days. Just be her friend and let her know you're there."**

"**OK."**

**She kissed his cheek, rewarding him for the advice.**

**But it would become harder and harder to follow that advice throughout the year. The abuse would become worse and Emma would become more withdrawn. Kendra would be forced to watch as her outgoing, intelligent friend retreated into herself and eventually tried to push everyone away, including Kendra. The rift between the girls would strengthen some friendships and permanently destroy others. By the time the school year was over, these five little girls would be well on their way down the paths their lives would take. No one knew that the events of this year would shape their lives and affect the way they dealt with future events throughout adulthood.**


	8. Chapter 8

"**Sam and Jason are in your office again," Paula said. "Sam looks upset and Jason looks- well, now I understand why you call him Stone Cold."**

"**Uh-oh," Spinelli thought.**

"**Thank you," he said aloud to Paula. "Can you please hold my calls until they leave?"**

**Paula nodded.**

"**Peter Christopher is dead," Jason said before Spinelli could greet them.**

"**He was murdered last night," Sam added.**

**They had given him the information he'd requested and dropped him as a client the day after they had discovered that his biological sister had taken over his biological father's mob organization.**

"**Any leads?" Spinelli asked.**

"**He was shot in the chest three times," Jason said.**

"**Of course, Ellen is the number one suspect," Sam said.**

**Spinelli nodded.**

"**The cops know about her affair with Milo," Jason said. "They found our file on his desk."**

"**They'll be questioning us," Sam said.**

"**We shouldn't tell them about his connection to Karpov," Jason said. "We dropped this case because we didn't wanna get involved in that."**

"**Agreed," Spinelli said. "Besides, Peter didn't even know he was adopted, let alone that Karpov was his father."**

"**But what do we tell them if they ask why we dropped him as a client?" Sam asked.**

"**They know about his wife's affair with Milo. They also know about Stone Cold's former mob status and that The Jackal was his tech support. That's reason enough."**

"**Should we shred the papers having to do with Karpov?" Jason asked.**

"**No, I don't know why, but I have a feeling we might need them. Call it a hunch. We'll put them in the safe."**

"**There's something else you need to know, too," Sam said. "Remember last week when you asked me to look into whether or not Lulu was in Port Charles? You said you thought maybe she was the one who sent Georgie that letter."**

"**I remember."**

"**She's back. Apparently she's been in town for a while and didn't want anyone to know. Luke is dying and Lucky called her to be with him only to learn that she was already here."**

"**Was that restraining order ever lifted?" Jason asked.**

"**The statute of limitations ran out," Spinelli said, and since she was no longer here we didn't see the need to renew it. We kept it in effect when she was still living here, but after she and Milo divorced and Lulu went to be with Dillon we let it go."**

"**Do you think she could have sent the letter?" Sam asked.**

"**I don't know. She's been gone for five years. I don't see why she would try to cause trouble after all this time. Is Dillon with her?"**

"**He's on his way. Lucky thinks they might be having problems, too."**

"**Doesn't Lulu know Georgie is Bella Carson?" Jason asked.**

"**It's possible. We never interacted after that day in Dr. Lainey's office, but she might have figured it out. Jack Millhouse looks a lot like me. For all I know, someone who knows might have told her."**

"**Who knows besides us at the agency?"**

"**The Senior Sir, Nadine, TJ, Mack, Robin, Patrick and their kids, and Granny. I seriously doubt any of them would have told her intentionally."**

**He paused, remembering something.**

"**Oh, and Dillon, but he knows we don't want anyone but our closest friends and relatives to know and he knows why we would want Lulu kept in the dark."**

"**All we know for sure is that whoever sent the letter is an angry woman," Sam said. "We have no reason to think that it's Lulu."**

"**She kidnapped Spinelli's baby to force him to be with her," Jason said incredulously.**

"**That was ten years ago, Jason, and Lulu's been gone for five years. She married Milo and then divorced him; she moved on with her life."**

"**I'm not ready to rule her out as a suspect," Spinelli said, "but I do think we should keep our minds open to the possibility that Lulu may have nothing to do with it."**

**Jason agreed.**

"**Spinelli," Paula said over the intercom, "Det. Savage is here to see you and Sam and Jason."**

"**Peter," Sam said.**

"**OK, Paula. Um, send him in, please."**

"**Sorry, guys, but this is official business. I need to talk to you about one of your clients, Peter Christopher."**

"**We dropped him last week," Jason said.**

"**Because of his wife's association with Milo Giambetti," Darrin agreed. "I'd like to talk to the three of you, and anyone else on Christopher's case, individually. I'll start with you, Mrs. Spencer."**

"**OK," Sam sighed. "Let's go into my office."**

"**I think you should know something," Jason said when Darrin and Sam left. "Remember after Kendra was kidnapped and Lulu was released from Shadybrook? I kept tabs on her to make sure she stayed away from you so she couldn't have the chance to take Kendra again, or hurt Maxie and Georgie?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**I never stopped keeping tabs on her."**

"**Even after she moved?" Spinelli asked, surprised.**

"**I didn't wanna take any chances. We thought she'd left for a while before she took Kendra, too. I should have been notified when she came back to Port Charles and I'm gonna find out why I was not."**

"**Who are your eyes and ears?"**

"**I called in some favors," Jason said vaguely. "But I can tell you that one of my informants is TJ."**

"**Favors?"**

"**Former mob guys like me, people who didn't wanna be part of the Giambetti organization; Bernie is one of them, too."**

**If it had been anyone else, Spinelli would have been suspicious of their association with supposedly former mobsters. But Jason had never lied to him and Spinelli had no reason to believe he would start now.**

"**Does Stone Cold have any reason to believe she's behind The Lovely One's disturbing fan letter?"**

"**No, but like you said, we can't rule her out yet either. I think we should keep an eye on her. I could be wrong, but it doesn't feel right. Why would she be back and not even want her family to know?"**

"**Innocent until proven guilty, but still under suspicion."**

"**Right."**

**Peter's murder was only the beginning. The mob had again invaded their lives, as they would discover in several ways over the next few months.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Georgie was finally beginning to relax. It had been a week and no more weird letters had come. But her stomach dropped when Spinelli came home that night and asked the kids to go upstairs so he could talk to her alone. He never did that unless something was wrong and he didn't want the kids to know.**

"**Did you find the person who sent the letter?"**

"**We have no proof one way or the other, but-"**

**He looked away, then looked back. He did that when he knew she wasn't going to like what he was going to say.**

"**Lulu's back."**

"**Was that what you wanted to look into before telling me?"**

"**Yes, I wanted to make sure."**

"**Have you seen her?"**

"**No, Sam said Lucky called her to tell her she needed to come back. Her father is dying. But when Lucky called her she told him she was already here but didn't want anyone to know. Dillon is on his way back, too; Lucky thinks they're having problems."**

"**Does Sam think that's why Lulu didn't want anyone to know she was back?"**

"**She didn't say. Stone Cold is suspicious that she would keep her presence a secret."**

"**I can see why."**

**She thought for a minute.**

"**Do you have anything she wrote you?"**

"**I don't think so. We usually communicated verbally, by text or instant message or by email."**

"**It's been a week," she said cautiously. "Maybe it was just someone blowing off steam."**

"**I hope so."**

**She studied his face carefully.**

"**What else is bothering you?"**

**He told her about Peter Christopher's murder.**

"**Are you gonna help the police find out who killed him?"**

"**They didn't ask; they only questioned us about what we knew."**

"**I hope they don't ask. You and Jason are out of the mob."**

**He nodded.**

"**I don't think they will, but maybe we should have just dropped the case without giving him the information on Milo."**

"**Don't go there, Spinelli," she said firmly, knowing that he would accept responsibility even if there was nothing he could have done; he and Jason had that in common. "If Ellen or Milo killed him they would have done it with or without Jackal PI's involvement."**

"**You're probably right," he admitted. "Maybe I'm just reacting to the unexpected entrance of the business back into our lives."**

"**The police don't suspect anyone from the agency, do they?"**

"**No, at least Stone Cold, Samantha and I didn't get that impression. I think they just wanted to know if we could provide any additional information to what was in the file we gave Peter."**

**The doorbell rang and Georgie answered it.**

"**Package for Georgie Spinelli," the delivery man said.**

"**I'm not expecting anything."**

**The delivery man shrugged with an annoyed frown as if to say, "look, Lady; I just deliver them."**

**She thanked the man and signed for the package. She and Spinelli looked at each other curiously.**

"**Perhaps The Accomplished Director sent you something," he said.**

**Dillon occasionally sent her pictures of locations he'd filmed if he thought she would find the scenery interesting. She had asked Spinelli once if that bothered him. He'd smiled and said he liked looking at the pictures, too, and that he knew Dillon and Georgie were good friends.**

**The package was addressed to her, but there didn't seem to be any indication of who or where it was from.**

"**That's weird," Georgie said, and she could see that Spinelli was becoming apprehensive. "You don't think-"**

"**I don't know. I don't like the idea that whoever sent it doesn't wish to identify themselves or their location."**

"**We know Lulu's in Port Charles, so if she sent it then it would make no sense for her not to at least let us know it's from here."**

"**Besides, we don't know that Lulu was behind that letter last week; all we have is suspicion based on her actions ten years ago. But it wouldn't make sense for her to try to cause trouble for us now. As pointed out when I was discussing her return with Stone Cold and Fair Samantha, she's moved on with her life. She's probably forgotten us by now, or at least accepted reality."**

"**I almost hope it is Lulu; at least then we'd know who we were dealing with."**

**She began to open the package as she spoke. Spinelli looked as if he wanted to protest, but they both knew it had to be opened to find out what it was. It could be harmless; maybe someone had just forgotten to fill out all the appropriate spaces.**

**But Georgie stared in horror at the photos inside. There was no note this time; it was a folder, which was filled with pictures of her dead sister. They were no ordinary pictures either; they were pictures the police and coroner had taken. They were pictures of the crime scene after Georgie had found her body and the ones on the bottom were pictures of her autopsy. Whoever this person was wanted her to know in no uncertain terms that they were serious and that they could get information the average citizen couldn't. She only wished she knew what this woman wanted.**

**She jumped when Spinelli touched her shoulder.**

"**I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you, but you've been staring so intently at those photos that you didn't seem to hear me. What are they? Who are they from?"**

**She turned to face him.**

"**You're so pale," he said with concern. "Georgie, what is that?"**

**She showed him, still unable to speak.**

"**Oh my God!"**

"**Whoever this is," she said weakly when Spinelli finished looking through the photos, "they know how to get to me."**

**He put his arms around her as she tried not to cry. The pictures brought it all back; finding Maxie, trying to revive her, the police bagging evidence and taking Maxie away, the chalk outline on the floor, the funeral… She was reliving it all over again. She wondered if that was the reaction whoever sent those pictures wanted from her. If so, why? Had Georgie done something so terrible to this person that they could hate her that much? Were they watching her now? Had they somehow found a way to observe her?**

**She forced the paranoia away; she would not give in to that kind of thinking or she would not be able to function. She and Spinelli would figure it out; they had to. The thought of going to the police had never even crossed either of their minds because the police were bound by red tape. Private investigators could go where the police couldn't at times, and they could get to most places more quickly. She told herself that whoever this sick person was, The Jackal PI Investigative Team would find them an make them explain themselves.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Kendra was halfway through her Science homework when Spinelli called her downstairs. She went down with a feeling of curiosity and apprehension. Her dad had looked very worried when he'd sent them upstairs. The apprehension turned to dread when she saw her parents' expressions. Mom looked as if she' wanted to cry and Dad looked angry now, as well as worried. Anger was not a common expression for her father and it looked very out of place on his normally friendly face.**

"**Did I do something wrong?" she asked.**

"**No," they said quickly together.**

"**Sit down," Spinelli said.**

**She sat on the couch between them.**

"**We need to ask you to do something you're not gonna like. We need to ask you to start letting us take you to and from school again for a while."**

"**Why? I've been obeying the bicycle rules."**

"**You have," he agreed apologetically. "This is not a punishment. It's-"**

**He paused, looked at Georgie, then back at Kendra.**

"**It's a precaution. What your mom and I are about to tell you must remain between us; your brother and sisters can't know. We're telling you because we're asking you to make a sacrifice and you deserve to know why, but we don't want Kevin and your sisters to worry."**

"**OK, I won't say anything."**

"**Remember my disgruntled fan?" Georgie asked.**

**Kendra nodded.**

"**It's becoming serious."**

"**What do you mean?"**

"**This person's first letter was a note with a picture of your mom below a warning that she knew who your mom was."**

"**A warning?"**

"**Red ink on white paper; it looked like blood."**

"**I know who you are," Georgie said. "That was all the note said in red letters above my photo."**

"**The photo was from the article about our kidnapping case, the one where the kidnapper challenged me to find his victim in forty-eight hours or less."**

"**So whoever this is knows Mom is Bella Carson?"**

"**She sent me something else today, to the house, not to Mrs. Parker."**

**Kendra was beginning to feel scared.**

"**You know it's a woman?"**

"**Lisa figured that out based on the handwriting," Georgie said.**

"**What did she send you?"**

"**Pictures of my sister, pictures of the crime scene and her autopsy."**

"**That's awful!"**

**All the kids knew Mom's sister had died when Mom and Dad were still just friends, but only Maxie and Kendra, being the oldest, knew the details. Kendra had researched the Text Message Killings after she'd been told about Aunt Maxie. She couldn't imagine finding one of her siblings the way Georgie had found her sister. Now this crazy woman was hurting her all over again by sending her those photos. Kendra hadn't seen them; she didn't want to see what had been done to the victims, only to know about an important event in Port Charles history. If it hadn't been for the fact of her parents' connection to it, the event would seem like just another story in a history book. But her mother had been hurt by the killers, and another one of them had almost killed her father and her mother, too. There had been three; Diego Alcazar had been the leader, another one had been Aunt Maxie's boyfriend and the third had been the son of the Special Prosecutor at the time. Diego had been killed accidentally, Aunt Maxie's boyfriend had committed suicide and the Special Prosecutor and his son had been killed in an explosion set by the son. Kendra didn't wish death on anyone, but she was relieved that none of those men could ever hurt anyone she loved again.**

**Georgie looked away. Spinelli gave her a reassuring hug that included Kendra, partly because she was between them.**

"**I understand your request for temporary regression to fifth grader status concerning transportation and will comply without complaint."**

**She began to talk more like her father when she was upset or passionate about something.**

"**Thank you, Empathic One, and try not to worry too much. The Jackal PI Investigative Team is on the case."**

"**Then this weird woman doesn't stand a chance of remaining anonymous for long," she said with sincere confidence.**

**Spinelli hugged her again and Georgie kissed her cheek.**

"**Mom?" Maxie asked from the top of the stairs.**

"**Yeah?" Georgie asked, trying to sound normal and not doing a bad job.**

"**Is dinner almost ready? We're hungry."**

**Kendra saw her parents exchange startled looks.**

"**We were so wrapped up in those photos we forgot all about dinner," Georgie said softly.**

"**Can we go to Kelly's?" Kendra asked."**

"**Good idea," Georgie said.**

"**Come down, small ones," Spinelli called. "We're going to Kelly's for dinner."**

"**You don't think they heard what we told Kendra, do you?" Georgie asked.**

"**I don't think so."**

"**Me neither," Kendra said. "You know Maxie; she would have shown some sort of reaction if she had."**

"**The Empathic One has a point," Spinelli said, but Georgie still looked worried.**

**Kendra was right, though; her siblings didn't suspect a thing and everyone seemed to have fun at Kelly's. Uncle Mike was there and since it wasn't really busy that night, he sat down and talked with them as they ate.**

**Kendra knew without being told that meal times were to be used for regular family conversation. Any issues or problems were not discussed at meal times; they were the times when they could be a family and forget their problems. Kendra liked the idea; she considered it a form of group meditation.**

**She finished her Science homework after dinner; it was all she had left to do. Then she went online to find out what was happening with Emma and the girls she'd begun to think of in her head as "The Triangle of Terror." Valerie, Stephanie and Jennifer were still terrorizing Emma. It was becoming serious, too, and she wished she could tell her parents. She wished she could at least tell a teacher, but Emma had told her angrily that day that if Kendra said anything Emma would never speak to her again.**

**She sighed, then her eyes widened. She'd just remembered something and decided to Jackal it. Her thoughts of the Text Message Killers had made a light bulb go off in her head. Stephanie Baldwin; the Special Prosecutor had been Scott Baldwin and his son had been Logan Hayes. She started with Scott, found out that he had a daughter named Serena and she had a daughter named Stephanie. They had moved to Port Charles when Stephanie was nine. She was eleven now and the leader of a group of three witches who thought they had a right to hurt Emma just because she wasn't one of them.**

**They criticized everything about her, from her hair to her clothes to the way she walked. Emma tried to avoid them now; becoming one of them was not something she strived for anymore. But then Valerie would reel her in with a promise of inclusion into their little clique, which Emma would eagerly accept. But then the girls would gang up on her, Valerie included, and Emma would be the outcast again. Kendra could only watch from the sidelines and do nothing but comfort her devastated friend. She was beginning to hate these girls and didn't speak to Valerie at all anymore. If she was friends with Stephanie and Jennifer and continued to torment her cousin, then Kendra was no longer friends with Valerie, who didn't seem to have a problem with it as long as Emma remained their victim and the other two "cool kids" continued to accept Valerie. As long as she was on their good side, no one else mattered.**

**They'd been ignoring Kendra for the most part, but that had been because Kendra didn't want to be a part of them. They couldn't hurt Kendra; Valerie was right. They had nothing she wanted. But they could hurt Emma, which meant they were hurting Kendra, and she had to find a way to put a stop to it. If she couldn't tell the grownups, she had to do something on her own.**

**But Kendra was wrong. The Triangle of Terror could hurt her, and because of her attempts to help her cousin, she would make herself a target. Her efforts at helping Emma would also make targets of her parents because they were her parents, and bring out secrets that even she didn't know. Valerie and her two catty cohorts had more power than Kendra realized and she would shortly become their victim for the next few months, which would also cause problems between her and Emma. There would be times during the rest of the school year when she would be convinced that her friendship with Emma was irrevocably destroyed.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Spinelli woke up alone later that night. Georgie's side of the bed was empty. Knowing where she probably was and what she was thinking about, he got out of bed and went downstairs to the balcony off the living room.**

**She sat on one of the couches they kept out there for nice weather. It was dark, but he could see well enough to note her body language, which told him she was crying.**

**He approached her slowly, not wanting to scare her. She looked up when she felt him sit next to her and hugged him tightly.**

"**You're thinking about your sister and those photographs," he said as he returned the hug.**

**She nodded against his shoulder and was unable to hold back a sob.**

"**Did you have another nightmare?"**

**She didn't have them often anymore. For the first year after Maxie's death, they had happened frequently, and there had been one recurring dream. They still cropped up occasionally when Georgie was exceptionally stressed.**

**She shook her head.**

"**I couldn't sleep," she sniffled. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you. I thought I was being quiet."**

"**You were. You didn't wake me; I woke up on my own and didn't see you."**

"**I don't understand," she sobbed.**

**He knew she was talking about her stalker. She was being stalked; there was no denying it now. She didn't understand why anyone would want to do this to her, and neither could he.**

"**You will," he said, renewing his promise to himself as he made it to her. "I'm not gonna let this go, Georgie. You will know who this woman is and why she's hurting you. She is going to be made to pay for causing you such pain. I'll give the photos to Stephen tomorrow and he's gonna tell us if they're genuine or if someone doctored them, and if The Cyber Gods are with us, we're also gonna find out where they were sent from."**

"**What if it is Lulu?"**

"**Better the devil you know. If it is Lulu, we will deal with her together, as we did before. If it's not Lulu, we'll deal with whoever it is together. You're not alone."**

**He thought she must be feeling alone. He couldn't imagine being stalked, and by someone who would be cruel enough to force you to relive the most horrible, most painful event of your life. Also, her stalker appeared, based on what little evidence they had so far, to be another woman. What kind of woman would deliberately do this to another? Weren't there enough men who put women through this kind of horror?**

**There were times when Spinelli was afraid and ashamed of his gender. He had always thought of women as the gentler sex; gentler, but never weaker. But Georgie's situation was beginning to make him revise that theory. Maybe women, in their own way, were as ruthless as men. Sonny Corinthos had killed Andre Karpov. He had shot him in the back, then, according to something Spinelli had accidentally overheard a short time after Kendra's first birthday, had spat on the body. In Spinelli's mind, what was being done to Georgie by a member of her own gender was equally appalling, and not just because Georgie was his wife and he loved her. No decent human being would ever do this to another.**

"**I know," she said, hugging him tighter.**

**Neither spoke for a minute.**

"**I just can't get those photos out of my head. I saw them and it was like Maxie was dying all over again. It still doesn't make any sense to me, Spinelli. I mean, she survived so much. We always thought it would be her heart that killed her, if anything did, and she dies from strangulation by someone who was supposed to love her."**

"**I know," he said quietly as another sob, muffled by his shoulder but still audible, shook her.**

"**I'm OK most of the time, but other times it comes back and I-"**

**She couldn't finish.**

"**This is not one of those times. You're not OK now; I understand. No one would be OK after what you saw today. No one would expect you to be."**

"**Mom?" a small, worried voice called from the balcony doorway. "Dad?"**

**They looked up to see Maxie holding a glass of water.**

"**You should be asleep," Spinelli said, trying not to sound as if he were scolding her.**

**He wasn't angry with her; he just didn't want her to find out what was happening and be scared. Like her father, Maxie tended to talk too much, especially when she was feeling strong emotions like fear or anger. If she knew, she might inadvertently tell Kevin or Ivy.**

"**I woke up and got thirsty. What's wrong? What happened?"**

"**It's OK," Spinelli said as Georgie sniffled, trying to stop crying. "Mom just had a bad dream. Go back to bed."**

**Maxie stood there, looking uncertain.**

"**Was it Aunt Maxie?" she asked.**

"**Yeah, but she'll be OK. Go back to sleep, and close the door, please."**

**Maxie complied, still looking worried. Georgie wiped impatiently at her eyes.**

"**I don't want them to know. We need to protect them. I didn't wanna tell Kendra, but you were right; she deserved to know why we were asking her to stop riding her bike to school with her friends, but Maxie and the little ones-"**

"**They won't be told anything unless it becomes necessary."**

"**But aren't we being hypocrites? Aren't we being the parents we hate to see, the ones who go by the 'do as I say, not as I do' philosophy? We always tell them to be honest with us."**

"**We're adults protecting our children from something that would hurt them. You're right; if we tell them they'll be worried and afraid. We told The Empathic One for a valid reason. It's not hypocritical to wanna keep them safe."**

"**But what about what you always say about how if they're old enough to ask they're old enough to know?"**

"**They haven't asked."**

**Technically, Maxie had asked, but she hadn't come right out and asked if her mother was being stalked; she had only asked what was wrong. He knew himself that he was rationalizing. He didn't know why exactly, only that he didn't want anyone to know who didn't need to know. He supposed it was his own way of denying that his wife could be in serious danger. He had to look at this the way he looked at any other case, objectively and with a certain degree of detachment.**

"**It'll be OK," he said gently as she wiped her eyes again with one final sniffle.**

**Tomorrow, he and Stephen would poor over the photos. This was now Jackal PI's highest priority. Whoever was torturing his wife was going to be found and stopped, no matter what it took. Spinelli was going to give Georgie back her peace of mind.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Georgie knew the kids suspected that something was wrong. She'd been distracted and distant for the past few days, since she'd received the package from her stalker with Maxie's police and autopsy photos. She didn't mean to be distant; she just couldn't concentrate.**

**The day after the photos had been sent, Spinelli told Kendra he would e the one to take her to school, since her school was on the way to the office.**

"**You're not riding your bike to school anymore?" Ivy asked.**

**Spinelli gave Georgie a guilty look.**

"**I broke one of the bicycle rules," Kendra said quickly. "I've temporarily lost my riding privileges."**

"**What did you do?" Kevin asked curiously.**

"**I didn't look both ways," she said, and Georgie knew she'd picked that one because Kevin was learning that you had to look both ways before you crossed the street; he could relate to that one.**

"**Thank you," Spinelli said quietly to Kendra when the others had gone to get their things. "I should have told you that privately."**

"**Nice cover, though," Georgie said. "I know you both hate lying to them; so do I, but we have to protect them."**

**Kendra nodded.**

"**Once Daddy finds this crazy woman I can get my bike privileges back and everything will go back to normal."**

**They all hoped things would go back to normal soon. Georgie was beginning to feel like she had to constantly look over her shoulder to see if she was being followed. She wished the stalker would show herself so they could at least put a face and a name to the letters. Once they had that information, finding and stopping her would be easy, she hoped.**

**That Saturday, she walked past Ivy's room toward the bathroom. Ivy was already up and called her.**

"**Good morning," she said, kissing her youngest daughter's cheek.**

**But Ivy didn't smile the way she usually did when one of her parents or siblings showed her affection.**

"**Are you and Daddy fighting?"**

"**No," Georgie said with genuine surprise. "Why would you think we were fighting?"**

"**You're both quiet, especially you, and Maxie said she saw you on the balcony the other night. She said you were crying and Daddy told her to go back to bed."**

**Georgie sighed. She'd been hoping Maxie would believe Spinelli's story about a nightmare and forget about it.**

"**We're not fighting, Honey. We've both got work situations we need to deal with and I had a bad dream the other night about Aunt Maxie. That was why I was crying and Daddy was worried about me."**

"**Angela's parents are getting divorced. She says they fight all the time and her mom cries a lot at night."**

**Angela Bronson was Ivy's best friend.**

"**That's not gonna happen to us. Daddy and I don't fight a lot and when we do have disagreements we find a way to compromise. We talk to each other so there's no misunderstanding and we don't allow ourselves to get too mad at each other."**

**Now that she thought about it, Spinelli and Georgie had never really had an out and out fight. They disagreed, of course, but it had never become a full blown argument. She smiled, and from the relieved expression on Ivy's face, she realized she hadn't smiled much in the past few days. The smile was born of the thought that the success of her and Spinelli's marriage could be due partly to her psychology degree and partly to his easy-going, understanding nature. They just knew instinctively how to talk to the other in a way that made compromise come easier and more quickly.**

**Georgie made a decision then and went to speak to Spinelli. He was brushing his teeth and had just finished rinsing when she came in.**

"**Are you OK?" he asked, studying her face.**

"**I'm OK, but Ivy thought we'd been fighting. I don't think Maxie believed I had a nightmare the other night."**

"**Do you think The Precocious One believes you now?"**

"**I'm not sure. I told her we weren't fighting, but she's thinking about Angela's parents. They're getting a divorce."**

"**And Ivy thinks-"**

"**Yes, I think we should take all the kids to the park for the day."**

**He nodded.**

"**To show them that we're still as solid as ever; to spend a family day."**

**She nodded.**

"**I think that's what we all need," he said. "I know you like to watch the people; you told me once that sometimes random observation gives you ideas for your novels. And maybe I can get The Empathic One to tell me what's been troubling her."**

"**You don't think it's what we told her, do you, about my stalker?"**

"**I think that might be part of it, but I don't think it's all."**

**Their parental instincts were usually correct, and Spinelli's incite into Kendra's mind was almost as supernatural as his nickname for her suggested.**

**The kids were excited about going to the park. They knew the nice weather wouldn't last much longer. Even Maxie, who usually didn't like to leave the house until Saturday morning cartoons were over, didn't protest. Georgie thought she might be outgrowing them. In a way, that made her sad.**

**Georgie's writing had suffered over the past few days, too. She just wasn't satisfied with most of what she wrote. She hoped Spinelli was right and that observing some of the people at the park would bring her inspiration.**

**She watched as Spinelli pushed Ivy on the swings and Maxie rode the seesaw with Kevin. Kendra played with Chewbacca, who loved the park even more than the kids did. She was surprised at how empty the park seemed today, on one of the few nice days left before the weather would turn cold for the Fall and Winter.**

**Soon, they were all engaged in a game of tag started by Ivy and Kendra. Then Chewie and Kendra began playing with Chewie's ball and they all played keep away, Chewie included, of course. They chased each other around the park, laughing and teasing each other as Chewie barked and wagged his tail.**

**They had packed a picnic and talked as they ate. Georgie knew Spinelli was going to take Kendra aside when they were done and try to get her to talk to him about whatever was bothering her. She hadn't mentioned Emma's problem with Valerie and those other girls in a while. Georgie guessed that meant it had resolved itself and something else had taken its place. Kids Kendra's age and older tended to think everything was a crisis. Maybe Kendra's problem wasn't as big as she thought and once she told Spinelli he would be able to help her solve it. Georgie would help, too, of course, but she knew Spinelli had a better chance of getting Kendra to talk to him. It wasn't that Kendra didn't love Georgie; it was just that Spinelli's rapport with her was different. Georgie was better at getting Maxie to open up than Spinelli was. Ivy would talk to either one of them if she had a problem. Kendra usually had the best luck with Kevin and Georgie and Spinelli thought it was because Kendra was old enough to be firm, but still young enough to know what he was thinking a lot of the time. When Kevin was upset, Spinelli was usually the one who calmed him down if Kendra couldn't, but Georgie was better at getting him to listen when he was asked to do something he didn't like. School had been a rare exception, and that had been because of his intense fear, which Spinelli had been able to help him face. Georgie knew Spinelli hadn't had many friends before and knew Kevin's fears because he'd shared them. Georgie herself had never had trouble making friends; most people seemed to like her.**

**But someone apparently didn't like her and was letting her know in a big way. She didn't want to accuse Lulu without proof, but she couldn't think who else it could be. Georgie had the life Lulu had decided, too late, that she'd wanted with Spinelli. Who else would hate Georgie enough to first try to scare her, then to send her police and autopsy photos of her sister? Lulu was the only person she knew who might hate her that much. She had kidnapped Kendra when she was six months old. Could Georgie put it past her to do this?**

"**I think she knows," Spinelli said, breaking into her thoughts.**

"**What?" she asked distractedly.**

"**I think Kendra knows I wanna talk to her. She went off with Chewie as soon as she finished her lunch."**

**Georgie sighed. Kids and crises. She wondered for the first time if Kendra was having boy problems. She was too young for boys and if that was the case, Georgie would tell her. But she knew Kendra wouldn't be comfortable talking to her father about boys, and Spinelli would be even more uncomfortable.**

**Whatever it was, it couldn't be all that serious. Kendra was only eleven. A pimple was serious to an eleven year-old, but in the long run it meant nothing. She hoped Kendra would never know what real problems were until she was an adult, and she hoped none of their children would ever know what it was like to find the body of someone you loved and then to have a crazy woman send you pictures of their crime scene or autopsy.**

**That thought made her realize that she and Spinelli could be losing one of their children if that happened, if the body they found in her hypothesis was one of their siblings. The thought sickened her and she forced it away.**

**She was being unfair. Kendra had a problem, and no matter how small it might seem to the grownups in her life, it was real to her. There was nothing Georgie could do about her problem at the moment. She berated herself for feeling sorry for herself when one of her children needed her.**

**She decided to get up and go with Spinelli to try to get through to Kendra and get her to tell them what was wrong. But Ivy fell and skinned her knee before she could suggest they talk to Kendra together. Spinelli went to tend to her and Georgie decided to go talk to Kendra. But what she saw made her stop in her tracks. Chewie and Kendra were standing by one of the benches with a figure that Georgie didn't recognize at first. When she did, she came running over to her oldest daughter in a panic. She had to protect her children; that was the only thought in her head. Whatever Georgie did next, she intended to put a stop to this craziness once and for all.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Kendra hated her current situation. She was having to lie to her siblings. She understood why, but it didn't make her feel any better. She had to lie to her parents because telling the truth would hurt Emma. She didn't want to lie to her parents, but she didn't want to betray her best friend either.**

**She knew part of the reason for this family day was, not only because it was a weekend and they always spent the weekends together, but also because her father wanted to get her to tell him what was bothering her. What could she do? The only thing she could think of was to avoid him as much as possible. She hated doing that. She loved being with him and listening to him. She loved his incites. She wanted his advice. But she was also afraid he would feel obligated to tell Uncle Patrick and Aunt Robin what Kendra told him in this situation and that would make Emma furious with her. Emma needed her now more than ever; The Triangle of Terror were still at it. Jake didn't understand, being a boy, and Kendra was the only one who could reach Emma after one of her encounters with The Triangle.**

**She finished eating as quickly as possible without eating too fast and took Chewie over by the benches. She threw his ball for him and he retrieved it and brought it back to her. She found the repetitive motions calming and it gave her time to think. Unfortunately, it didn't help her solve her problem.**

**A sound broke through her thoughts. She looked toward it, not entirely sure what it was, and saw a pretty blonde woman sitting on the end away from her and Chewie. The woman was crying.**

"**Excuse me," Kendra said politely.**

**The woman sniffed and turned to her.**

"**Are you OK?"**

**She nodded.**

"**I've just had a lousy week."**

**She paused and looked at her, wiping her eyes.**

"**Do I know you?"**

**Kendra shook her head.**

"**I didn't mean to be nosy; I just- you were crying and I-"**

"**No, it's OK. You just- you remind me of someone."**

"**Maybe you know my parents."**

**Kendra didn't get any further. Her mother came running over, looking scared and angry.**

"**Spinelli said you were back," Georgie said to the woman.**

**Kendra blinked. "I guess she does know my parents," she thought.**

"**I came back to be with my dad. He's dying."**

"**I'm sorry," Kendra said.**

"**Thank you," the woman sniffed.**

"**He said you came back before you found out about Luke and didn't want anyone to know you were here."**

**Kendra was surprised at her mom's confrontational, unsympathetic tone.**

"**Sam said Dillon didn't come back until a few days ago."**

"**I wasn't aware that Dillon and I had to check our travel plans with you."**

**The woman was still crying and her tone was becoming angry.**

"**Don't get all defensive with me! Are you my stalker?"**

**Now Kendra understood, kind of. They didn't know who the stalker was. Apparently her mom and this woman had some sort of problem and the woman had been gone for a while. Could this woman be her stalker? Had Kendra been trying to comfort the woman who was terrorizing her mother?**

**Her mother's voice was raised. Kendra looked behind her at the sound of footsteps and was relieved to see her father coming toward them; her mom's uncharacteristically loud and angry tone must have alerted him.**

**Chewbacca had been looking expectantly at Kendra, still wanting her to throw the ball. But when he saw Georgie becoming upset, he sat next to Kendra, putting his head against her knee and whining anxiously. She stroked his head, keeping her eyes on the two women.**

**Chewie turned his head when Kendra looked behind Georgie and barked at the sight of Spinelli, holding Ivy's hand and coming over to them.**

"**I'm gonna take the Precocious One with me to the-" he began, then stared at the blonde. "Lulu!"**

**His voice was quiet, but there was no mistaking the surprise. No, it was more than surprise; it was shock, and he wasn't pleased to see her.**

"**Hi, Spinelli," the blonde said softly.**

"**Kendra," Spinelli said quietly, and motioned for her and Chewie to come to him.**

**He stepped in front of Georgie and when Kendra approached him, he put her behind him so he stood between his wife and daughters and the sniffling blonde.**

"**Daddy?" Kendra asked anxiously.**

"**It's OK."**

"**What's going on?" Lulu asked. "Why does Georgie think I'm stalking her?"**

"**You didn't send that letter or those photos?"**

**Georgie's tone suggested that she didn't believe it wasn't this Lulu person.**

"**Wait," Kendra thought. "Lulu? Valerie's Aunt Lulu? Is Valerie's Grandpa Luke dying?"**

**She had so many questions, but her father's body language and her mother's fear told her to keep quiet for now. But why would Valerie's aunt stalk Georgie? Why was her dad looking at her as if he'd been hoping never to see her again? Her dad was always so friendly. What could this woman possibly have done to them? Why would her parents think she was the stalker?**

**Ivy was pressed against Spinelli, holding his hand tightly, looking nervous. Ivy had always been more timid than the rest of the Spinelli children and Kendra knew this encounter was scaring her. She took her sister's other hand.**

"**You haven't changed," Lulu said to Spinelli.**

"**Neither have you."**

**Her dad's tone was cold.**

"**What about the letter and the photos?" Georgie demanded. "What were you doing chatting up our daughter?"**

"**Georgie," Spinelli said, not taking his eyes off Lulu, but touching Georgie's shoulder, trying to calm her down.**

"**It's gotta Stop, Spinelli! It's gotta stop now!"**

"**What's she talking about?" Lulu asked.**

"**Don't pretend you don't know!" Georgie yelled, and Ivy began to cry.**

**Kendra looped Chewbacca's leash over her arm and put her arms around Ivy, who buried her face in Kendra's shoulder. She let go of Spinelli's hand and clung to Kendra.**

**The adults looked down at them for a minute, the parents looking apologetic and Lulu looking confused.**

**Kevin and Maxie must have heard the commotion because now they were approaching the benches.**

"**Dad?" Maxie asked.**

"**Go to the car, kids," Georgie ordered, and Kendra, knowing she was talking to all of them, took one arm away from Ivy and started toward her brother and her other sister.**

"**But-" Maxie began.**

**Kendra shook her head.**

"**Wrong time to argue," she said quietly. "Let's go."**

"**What's happening?" Kevin asked. "Why is Ivy crying?"**

"**Mom and Dad will handle it. We're supposed to go to the car."**

"**Are we going home?"**

"**I think so."**

**Having nothing else to say, the four of them went to the car and waited for their parents to come back.**


	14. Chapter 14

**With the kids gone, Spinelli could drop the pretenses. He was not calm and he wanted answers as much as Georgie.**

"**Why didn't you want anyone to know you were back?"**

"**Why are you and Georgie interrogating me?"**

"**Because I wanna know who's stalking my wife and why!"**

"**Georgie's being stalked?"**

"**Why do you think she's been demanding to know if you sent the letter and the photos?"**

"**I don't know anything about it."**

"**This would not be the first time you've done something to hurt us, Lulu."**

"**That was ten years ago! Why would I still wanna hurt you! I've been married twice, divorced once and if Dillon and I can't-"**

**She broke off, sighed and put her face in her hands.**

"**I came back to be with my dying father when I found out he was dying; before I was just planning to pass through Port Charles. I honestly don't know where I'm going when I leave here after he dies. All I know right now is that my father is dying, my marriage is falling apart and I can't-"**

**She started to cry again.**

**Georgie and Spinelli looked at each other. The photos had been obtained through a computer; someone had hacked into the police and morgue files. As far as they knew, Lulu didn't have that knowledge. They didn't know whether or not to believe her.**

**Spinelli wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe Lulu had recovered after her stay in Shadybrook and that she was through hurting him and the people he loved. She hadn't tried anything in the past ten years, since kidnapping Kendra, and it wouldn't make sense for her to be trying anything now. But he also wanted this horrible experience to be over for Georgie. If Lulu was the stalker, they could deal with her now and Georgie could feel safe again.**

"**I can't take anymore drama!" Lulu sobbed.**

**Spinelli put his arm around Georgie. With Lulu as emotional as she was, they were not going to get anymore out of her, if there was anything more to get.**

"**If you're not the stalker," he told Lulu, "I sincerely apologize. But if you are, know that I will make you pay for your actions with your freedom. I will have you arrested and this time you won't be sent to Shadybrook; you'll go to prison."**

**He couldn't allow his sympathy for her dying father and her dying marriage to soften him. If Lulu was Georgie's' stalker, she was going to suffer the consequences of her actions. He turned Georgie toward the park exit and headed for their car and their confused, probably terrified children.**

"**We have to tell them now, don't we?" Georgie asked in a defeated tone. "They're all gonna have questions and they've had time to compare notes. Ivy heard Lulu ask why I thought she was stalking me."**

**He nodded.**

"**I'm sorry," she sighed.**

"**Seeing Lulu again was a shock for both of us. If you hadn't said something that gave our secret away I probably would have."**

"**This is gonna terrify them!"**

"**We'll face it together, as a family, the kids included. Maybe we were wrong. Maybe if we'd told them before-"**

"**How are they gonna face this? They're only kids!"**

**He stopped and took her gently by the shoulders, turning her to face him.**

"**Kendra knows and she's facing it courageously. They've always known they were safe with us," he said gently. "They know we would do anything to protect them. We have to trust that they trust us and they know Mommy and Daddy are gonna keep us all safe like we always have."**

"**What if I was wrong, Spinelli? What if it's not Lulu?"**

"**Then we'll know it's not and we'll find who it really is. The fact that our small ones know doesn't change the fact that this is still a case. The difference is that now it's even more personal; our personal and professional lives have become entangled, which is never a good thing. I mean, it is when you and I work together, but when the kids become involved- my point is that we need to solve this case as quickly as possible, for our kids' peace of mind as well as ours."**

**She nodded.**

"**OK," she said, resigned, "let's go explain what's been going on."**

"**Is it over, Daddy?" Kendra asked. "Did you solve the case?"**

**He shook his head.**

"**But Valerie's aunt-"**

"**May not be the woman we're looking for."**

"**So Mom's under cover performance was wasted," she said, faking a tone of disappointment and giving him a significant look. "Too bad; she was brilliant!"**

**Both parents had to struggle to hide their surprise. Spinelli admired Kendra's quick thinking.**

"**Why didn't you tell the rest of us you had an under cover case?" Maxie asked, offended.**

"**I told you," Kendra said with annoyance, "they wouldn't have even told me either if I hadn't spotted their suspect."**

**Georgie nodded.**

"**We didn't wanna get any of you involved, but Kendra just happened to be there when she showed up."**

"**But you looked surprised to see her," Ivy said to Spinelli.**

"**We were expecting her later," Georgie said. "He was surprised she was there at the time. What was it you were gonna take Ivy to do?"**

"**Oh yeah, we need antiseptic. The first aid kit needs replenishment."**

"**We should stop at the pharmacy before we go home, then."**

**He glanced at Kendra through the rearview mirror as he pulled out of the park. He couldn't believe she'd come up with such a good cover story on the spot. He half admired and half feared it. She wasn't telling him something. She was helping him and Georgie lie to her siblings. That was for their protection, but what about the secret she was keeping? What was bothering her? Was she losing trust in them? Was she going to be one of those kids who distanced themselves from their parents? She was so young. Tomorrow, he decided, he was going to schedule some alone time with her and beg her to talk to him, if that was what it took.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Georgie and Spinelli were relieved when, coincidentally, Maxie, Ivy and Kevin were suddenly all scheduled to be out of the house for the night. Maxie was invited to a movie and Ivy and Kevin were invited over to friends' houses for a sleepover. That left just the parents and Kendra, and the parents knew Kendra had a lot of questions about Valerie's Aunt Lulu.**

"**Are you sure we should tell her everything?" Georgie asked when they had a moment alone, worried about Kendra's reaction to discovering that she'd been kidnapped at six months old, and by the aunt of one of her friends.**

"**We must," Spinelli said unhappily. "We both know The Empathic One has inherited her father's thirst for knowledge. Did you know that she did extensive research on The Text Message Killers?"**

**Georgie shook her head.**

"**She knew we were connected to it," he continued, "and to her it's a piece of Port Charles's history that just happened to include her parents. If we leave out some details she will know and Jackal the information on her own."**

**Georgie nodded thoughtfully.**

"**Better to be honest with her than to have her find out that way," she agreed.**

**Spinelli took the three younger children to their respective friends and Kendra helped Georgie with dinner.**

"**I remember seeing Valerie's aunt now," Kendra said. "She's in my baby book and the DVD Uncle TJ helped Dad make of my first year. When I asked you about her you and Dad said she got married and moved away."**

"**She married my friend, Dillon."**

"**Your Ex-husband, the guy you married before you met Dad?"**

**Georgie nodded.**

"**Why do you think she's your stalker?"**

"**We're gonna tell you everything, Honey, but I wanna wait until your dad gets back. It's just as much his story to tell as mine, maybe more."**

**Kendra nodded reluctantly.**

"**What exactly did you tell your brother and sisters about what happened in the park?" Spinelli asked casually as they ate.**

**Georgie knew that part of the reason he was asking was because he was hoping to stall a bit longer. He really didn't want to tell Kendra what had happened ten years ago. It still hurt him to think about Kendra's kidnapping. Georgie had never seen him so scared and helpless, before or since.**

"**I told them there was someone stalking one of Mrs. Parker's clients and that she'd hired Jackal PI to find the stalker. I told them Mom was using herself as bate."**

**He gave her an approving smile.**

"**Interesting idea," Georgie said thoughtfully, the beginnings of a book forming in her head.**

**Kendra waited expectantly after the table was cleared and the dishes were in the dish washer.**

""**There's another reason Valerie's father doesn't like me," Spinelli began, "and it has to do with Lulu."**

**He told her about how they met in a study group, even including the trouble he'd gotten into with Lorenzo Alcazar, which surprised Georgie. He had honestly not known how bad Alcazar had been; Georgie knew that. He had been very naïve back then. He didn't tell her that Jason used to be in the mob, too. He told her that Alcazar and Rick Lancing had tried to frame Sam and that she and Jason had been together at the time. That was how Spinelli and Sam and Jason had become friends. Georgie was surprised at how little of the mob actually figured into the story.**

**He went from how they met to his obsession with Lulu, and there he didn't leave anything out. He didn't have to; his love for her had nothing to do with the mob, except when Johnny Zacchara came into the picture, and then he explained how Logan had hurt Lulu and she'd run away and hitchhiked, which was how she met Johnny.**

"**So you two were friends," Kendra said, trying to get it straight in her head, "and she met two bad guys and you tried to warn her and she got mad at you?"**

**He nodded.**

"**She sounds a lot like Valerie."**

"**Your mom pointed that out a few days ago."**

"**So what happened after she met Johnny?"**

"**Stone Cold and I tracked her down and when Johnny saw us, he pulled a gun on us and started waving it around; I was sure he was gonna shoot Lulu. She was furious with me when I told her everyone was worried about her. I had contributed to her humiliation by letting everyone know what Logan had done."**

**Out of respect for Georgie, he left out the part about Maxie being the one Logan had made the bet with in order to get Lulu in bed; he just told Kendra he'd cheated on Lulu with another girl.**

"**How could she yell at you for worrying about her?"**

**Kendra was indignant.**

"**She was mad at herself."**

"**Lulu had a habit of taking out her bad judgments on everyone else. Your dad was an easy target because he would have done anything to protect her."**

"**But there was much about our friendship that I could have handled differently, too."**

"**Spinelli, nothing you did excuses-"**

"**I know, Lovely One; you don't have to defend me to myself. The Jackal is merely pointing out that he was not entirely blameless."**

"**But how did you get away from Johnny?"**

"**It was, thankfully, resolved without injury to anyone. Johnny left and Lulu came home with us. She moved in with us after that, until the Black and White ball."**

"**That was when Diego Alcazar killed Uncle Jason's sister, Emily, right?"**

"**Yes, and Lulu's father had his first heart attack. She decided she was needed back at the Quartermaine mansion where she could keep an eye on him. She felt she could better serve her family living with her father. The entire family was in turmoil."**

**Georgie didn't voice her decidedly unkind, unfair thoughts about how Lulu's family problems didn't stop Lulu from bouncing back and forth between Logan and Johnny and punishing Spinelli for trying to protect her up until the day she decided she was in love with him after he'd already moved on with Georgie.**

"**I need to give you a clear picture of what Lulu is like, so I need to backtrack a bit to the night of the ball. We all thought Anthony Zacchara, Johnny's father, was the killer. He was- mentally- Well, he was crazy. He didn't want his son dating anyone and saw Lulu as a threat. He'd come to the ball to kill her and fortunately never got the chance. Lulu intended to use herself and Anthony's hatred for her, and for women in general, as bate to draw him out and no one wanted her to put herself in danger. Stone Cold left me in a barn with Aunt Nadine, Lulu and Aunt Elizabeth with strict instructions not to let Lulu leave. When reasoning with her didn't work, she marched out the door without a second look at me and I panicked. I knocked her unconscious."**

**Georgie was proud that Spinelli had long since stopped feeling guilty about that. He had done what Lulu had forced him to do, nothing more, nothing less.**

**Kendra's eyes widened.**

"**Kendra, I would never have done that if-"**

"**No, I know you would never hurt anyone if you didn't have to. You must have been really scared for her to do something so drastic."**

**He nodded with relief.**

"**Where were you?" Kendra asked Georgie."**

**Most of us were in the ballroom with the doors locked. Then we went to the parlor because it was smaller, which meant it was safer. I had no idea where your father and Aunt Nadine were. We met up later in the barn after Emily was killed."**

"**Were you scared for Dad?"**

**Georgie nodded.**

"**I was scared for all of us."**

"**Was Lulu mad when she regained consciousness?"**

"**Not at first. She wasn't sure what had happened. She started to tell me what a good friend I was and how she was sorry for always disregarding my feelings. It was not a new conversation for us. Aunt Nadine walked in, saw us hugging and thought Lulu knew I'd been the one to knock her out. She tried to tell her that my intentions were good and Lulu became angry at me again."**

"**Valerie isn't even related to Lulu biologically and barely knows her and already she's Lulu Junior!" Kendra huffed.**

**Georgie and Spinelli exchanged a look. Whatever was bothering Kendra might have to do with Valerie and her new friends, after all.**

"**She kind of swept it under the rug after we were all rescued, until after Emily's funeral. She came over to talk to me and apologized for her behavior."**

"**Again," Georgie added.**

"**Again, Spinelli agreed, and it was not the last time either. Not only was it not the last time, but her actions became more and more appalling until she finally did something I can't forgive."**

"**What did she do?"**

**Georgie could see the curiosity and sympathy on Kendra's face and the pain on Spinelli's.**

"**She kidnapped you," Spinelli said softly, and then looked at Georgie with worried eyes.**

**They were sitting on the couch again, only this time Kendra was on Spinelli's left side and Georgie was on his right. Georgie took Spinelli's hand and the two of them waited anxiously for Kendra's reaction.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Kendra's mind was blank for a second. Had she heard right? Did her dad just say Valerie's aunt had kidnapped her? One look at her father's face told her she hadn't misheard.**

**She felt horrible for both her parents. Georgie looked as upset as Spinelli. She was usually better at hiding her feelings than he was. They both controlled their negative emotions in front of Kendra and her siblings, but Kendra always knew when Spinelli was upset and usually knew when Georgie was.**

"**I don't remember," she said.**

**She still didn't feel as if this situation was really something that had happened in her life, as if she were really part of it. This seemed to her like another piece of history, something she would research later and understand, but that would not directly affect her. It was in the past and she didn't remember it. Her parents did and she felt for them, but it didn't feel like something tangible. She felt disconnected from it. Buy the next day, Kendra would wish she had that feeling back.**

**Spinelli shook his head.**

"**You wouldn't, thank the Gods and Goddesses. You were only six months old."**

"**Why would she kidnap me?"**

**He sighed as he exchanged another look with Georgie, then looked back at Kendra. He explained that Lulu wanted the unattainable. He told her how Lulu confessed that she was in love with him a couple of months after Kendra was born. He told her how he'd been as gentle with Lulu as he could, but made it clear that he was no longer one of her options, that he was with Georgie and didn't love Lulu romantically anymore. Lulu's response had been to send an article to a tabloid implying that Georgie was cheating on Spinelli with Dillon. Spinelli had seen Lulu's fingerprints all over the pack of lies, from the content to the disreputable reporter she'd given the story. It took a while, but Lulu got Spinelli and Georgie to forgive her, until she found out about Georgie's pregnancy. She tried to convince Spinelli that there was no baby, that Georgie was faking. Learning that Spinelli had been with Georgie when she received the news of Baby Maxie's conception, Lulu ran away again. They thought she'd left town, but the week after Kendra's baptism, she came back, attacked Georgie and took Kendra while Spinelli was picking up Granny from the airport.**

"**We didn't know it was Lulu at first," Georgie said. "All I knew was that one minute I was putting you in the play pen and the next your dad was bending over me, begging me to wake up and asking where you were. I had a concussion; I still don't remember Lulu coming. All I remember is putting you in the play pen, then you were gone."**

"**She took you to Canada," Spinelli said softly, and now the pain was showing in his voice, as well as his face. "She had fake passports made for both of you and you traveled under assumed names. We found you at the North Star Hotel. On the plane from Port Charles to Canada, Lulu called me and apologized. She said she couldn't keep you and me apart anymore and begged me to let her fix it."**

**He gave a derisive laugh and his eyes flashed with anger.**

"**She betrays all of us, including you, and then thinks an apology and a plea for forgiveness is gonna fix everything. She claimed to love us both; I told her if she knew what love was she never would have taken you. She was arrested for kidnapping and assault as soon as we reached Port Charles."**

"**That's how Lulu thinks, Kendra," Georgie said. "She thinks she can get anyone to forgive anything she does if she just apologizes and turns on the tears. It used to work with your dad because he's a generous, forgiving person, but even he has his limits. He trusted her with you and she shattered that trust."**

**Kendra nodded thoughtfully.**

"**Now I understand why you think she's the one stalking Mom."**

"**The problem is there's no proof one way or the other. All we know is that your mother's stalker is female; if it is Lulu, she's leaving no trace."**

"**Why would Dillon marry her after what she did?"**

"**I don't know how she does it," Georgie said, "but Lulu has this way of making guys believe she's a victim, or a misunderstood damsel in distress. She claims she can take care of herself. She hates being told what to do, but then when she needs help she calls on the guy who pays her the most attention to rescue her."**

"**I was that guy, until she took you. Your mom needed never doubt my love for her and she didn't, but she also knew that human beings don't get to choose their feelings. She blamed herself after your kidnapping. I blamed myself, too. I trusted Lulu with both our lives; I never thought she'd hurt us like she did. I knew she resented your mom for being with me, but I thought our friendship was strong enough to make her wanna get past it. Instead she decided to punish us both by using you as a bargaining chip. She wanted me to leave your mom and arrange visitation for Baby Maxie; those would have been her conditions for returning you to me if she hadn't apparently gotten an attack of conscience."**

"**She was holding me for ransom, only instead of money she wanted you."**

**He nodded.**

"**She thought she could make me love her by using my love for you. She knew I would do anything for you. But the one thing I can't do, the one thing I can never do, is choose one of my children over another. If I'd agreed to her terms I would be abandoning Maxie; if I didn't agree and she escaped with you I would have been abandoning you. She didn't care; if she got me and you, that was all that would have mattered."**

"**You must have been really scared."**

**The statement was meant for both of them, but Spinelli had been the only true parent at the time; he and Georgie were together, but not married, and Georgie had not yet adopted Kendra. They were not living together; Spinelli and Kendra shared an apartment for the first six months of her life and Georgie still lived with Grandpa Mack.**

"**But Lulu married Dillon. Doesn't that mean she's not in love with you anymore? Why would she be stalking Mom?"**

"**We don't know that she is," Georgie said. "I freaked out at the park because of the stalking, and because it's been ten years since any of us actually interacted with Lulu. I wasn't expecting to see her talking to you."**

"**I'm sorry," Kendra said.**

"**No, you didn't do anything wrong," Georgie said quickly. "I should have handled it better."**

"**What did she say to you?" Spinelli asked.**

"**Nothing much. I was playing with Chewie and heard a sound. I looked towards it and saw her sitting on the other end of the bench. She was crying and I asked if she was OK. She just said she'd had a lousy week. Then Mom came over and wanted to know why she didn't want anyone to know she was back in Port Charles."**

"**She got all defensive and said she wasn't aware that she and Dillon had to check their travel schedules with me, then you and Ivy came over."**

"**But she did seem surprised when Mom asked if she was her stalker. She didn't seem to know what Mom was talking about."**

"**I believed her when she said she loved us. I won't make the mistake of taking anything she says or does at face value again. I'm going to have her monitored. If she's your mom's stalker, I will find out, and if she's not, then we need to look in another direction. I don't want your mom to be hurt again like she was the other day when she received those photos, but if the stalker sends more calling cards the better chance we have of finding her identity."**

**Georgie nodded sadly.**

"**So you and Mom want more packages and scary letters to come?"**

"**It's the last thing we want," Georgie said, "but if it helps us find my stalker, it will be worth it in the long run."**

**They were silent for a minute and her parents gave her, and each other, worried looks.**

"**Do you need to talk?" Georgie asked. "Do you have any questions about what we just told you?"**

"**If Lulu's the one who kidnapped me, why is her brother mad at you?" she asked Spinelli.**

"**He blames me for Lulu's actions. He says I'm the one who drove her to do what she did."**

"**That's insane!"**

**Georgie nodded.**

"**Lucky's a hypocrite. Everyone has to pay for what they do, but his family gets off Scott free because it's someone else's fault."**

"**Do you hate Lulu?" Kendra asked.**

**Her parents looked at each other intently before answering.**

"**I hate what she did to us," Georgie said, "but my hatred for Lulu herself faded a long time ago."**

"**I think it would have been easier for me if I did hate her," Spinelli said. "At her doctor's request after she was sent to Shadybrook after your kidnapping, I attended one of her therapy sessions. Your mom had to convince me to agree; she thought it was better for me. She was right. Hate is poisonous, Kendra, and I didn't want my kids growing up with it. I had to confront her to get past the kidnapping. I couldn't trust myself to leave you and your mom alone, but I couldn't stay with you every second. I had to know you'd be safe, and here, when I left."**

"**Does Valerie know any of this?"**

"**I don't know," Georgie said.**

"**I don't think so," Spinelli said.**

"**I get why you're afraid of her now. If she is the stalker, she deserves to go to jail this time. Obviously Shadybrook did nothing for her. If she's not, then who else would it be?"**

"**Possibly a crazy fan," Spinelli said, "someone who somehow fixated on your mom and wants her to know she's being targeted."**

"**Maybe she doesn't like something I wrote and she's trying to punish me. We just don't have enough information yet."**

**Kendra was still curious, but she wanted to get her parents away from the subject. Talking about Lulu and the kidnapping had obviously hurt them and she didn't want to cause them anymore pain. She would Jackal the rest. After all, it couldn't hurt her now. It was a horrible memory for her parents, but she was detached from it. The kidnapping was ten years ago, before she was old enough to remember anything. But it could wait until tomorrow. She didn't get much alone time with her parents. She loved her siblings, but each of them found it hard to get one on one attention with three others in the house. Tonight was her night and she wanted to spend it having fun with her parents instead of talking about painful past memories.**

"**Can we watch the Ibiza DVD?" she asked.**

**Her parents looked surprised, but agreed. They spent the rest of the night reliving their year abroad, laughing and talking. None of them knew it was the last night Kendra would ever consider her parents' past something that was apart from her and her siblings again. Tomorrow would be the start of a whole new chapter in her life.**


	17. Chapter 17

"**Are you OK?" Georgie asked Spinelli after Kendra went to bed.**

"**She's gonna be looking for more information on her own; I can feel it."**

"**But why would she? I mean, she knows she can always ask or tell us anything; we always tell are kids that."**

"**Did you see the way she looked at us?"**

"**She looked sympathetic."**

"**Exactly; she doesn't wish to hurt us by making us talk about the kidnapping anymore. Besides, I watched her face as we told her. She knows it happened, but she doesn't feel that it happened to her."**

"**I don't understand."**

"**She views the kidnapping the way she views the Text Message Killings. It's part of Port Charles history, not part of her life."**

"**So you think she's gonna take a scholar's approach to her kidnapping."**

"**Yes, and I don't know the affect it's gonna have on her. I'm half tempted to forbid her to Jackal the kidnapping, but that's only gonna make her more curious."**

**Georgie nodded.**

"**We're just gonna have to let her Jackal it and then if she comes to us with what she found, we'll deal with it. She knows she's home and she's safe; that's what's most important."**

"**What else might she find? What if she finds out about me and Stone Cold and what we used to do?"**

"**That's always been one of your greatest fears with all the kids. But like you say, if they're old enough to ask, they're old enough to know. They know you, Spinelli, and they love you enough to know that you're not like Sonny. They feel the same way about Jason. You two got out, and so did TJ. What you do now is what matters. Kendra was the reason you got out. They'll know that you loved them enough to do what was best for them. You changed your life to keep them safe."**

**He nodded. Michael's face flashed briefly in his mind. It had been Michael's shooting that had finally made Spinelli decide that he couldn't stay in the mob anymore. He couldn't risk anything so horrible happening to him or his children.**

**He smiled at her, reminded of all the times they'd had similar conversations before Kendra was born. Georgie was right. The past couldn't hurt them anymore. It may have insinuated itself into his professional life again, at least temporarily, but their personal life was still theirs and the mob would never invade it again.**

**The next day, Georgie went to pick up the kids from their respective sleepovers. Maxie's movie night had run later than expected, so her friend's mother had offered to keep her for the night. Knowing that Spinelli wanted to get Kendra to tell him what was bothering her, Georgie planned to take them out for ice cream. This would give Spinelli and Kendra more time together.**

**But Kendra's other problem was forgotten when he came upstairs to talk to her. He found her watching his video plea, the one he'd made for Kendra's safe return when they hadn't known it was Lulu who took her.**

"**Tell her Daddy loves her," he heard himself say brokenly with tears running down his face and the chorus to You'll be in my Heart playing softly in the background.**

**Kendra was crying, too. She stared at his face on the screen with a look of sympathy and horror. She'd never seen Spinelli cry before.**

"**I almost lost you four times before you were six months old," he said from the doorway. "The cord was wrapped around your neck when you were born; you weren't breathing. Then we had the Asian Ague scare and I was terrified you would fall prey to it. Then when I was in the hospital Grandpa Mack was so angry with me for exposing your mom to a potential threat that he threatened to take you away from me. He even said he was gonna have Social Services pick you up. Then the kidnapping-"**

**He swallowed, fighting back his own tears as Kendra closed the browser window with a whimper.**

**He walked the rest of the way into the room and stood behind her desk chair. He gently swiveled it so she was facing him and put his hands on her shoulders; the memories of the times she'd been in danger of being taken from him gave him a powerful need to reaffirm her presence.**

"**it was the worst day of my life. I was so scared I could barely think. I don't know what I would have done if everyone else hadn't been so calm. It was Uncle TJ who determined that Lulu was your abductor."**

"**Daddy," she sobbed, throwing her arms around him.**

"**It's OK," he said softly. "I found you. We brought you home; you're safe now."**

**She was more upset than he'd ever seen her; he had known this would affect her, but not like this.**

"**I would have kept looking," he said as a single tear fell from his eye into her hair. "If we hadn't found you that day I would never have given up the search until I had you back with me."**

**Then he had another thought. What if she'd found out about his, TJ's and Jason's association with the mob? But she was hugging him. She was holding him so tightly, as if she needed the contact as much as he did. Wouldn't she be pulling away if she knew he'd helped Jason find information that allowed him to kill people?**

"**It makes sense now," she sobbed against his chest as he stroked her hair.**

"**What does?"**

"**The dream I used to have when I was little; Mommy was hurt and you were trapped in a box."**

**He remembered those dreams. She used to wake up screaming for him. He'd asked her what scared her so badly and all she could say was that Mommy was hurt and that he was trapped in a box and she couldn't find either of them.**

"**The computer," she sobbed. "You were trapped in a box and you were crying. That's what the dream meant."**

**She pointed in the general direction of the computer, which now showed only her desktop icons, without lifting her head from his chest, and then quickly held on to him with both arms again.**

"**And we thought you wouldn't remember any of it."**

**He closed the lid to her laptop, picked her up from her chair and sat on her bed with her in his arms.**

"**I thought it was just history," she said. "I didn't think- Daddy, you were so- You were crying and you looked so-"**

**Her sobs intensified and he began to rock her.**

"**I found you. I was terrified, but you're home now, Baby. Everything's OK now."**

**He kissed the top of her head, still rocking her.**

"**I looked at it so callously," she said when she could speak again.**

**She was still crying, but at least she could talk.**

"**I thought it didn't affect me because I couldn't remember. I'm sorry, Daddy; I didn't mean to be so insensitive. I should have just left it alone after you and Mom told me. I didn't want you and Mom to be hurt anymore and I knew it hurt you to tell me."**

"**Kendra-"**

"**I saw the video and it was real. You really almost lost me. Your friend betrayed us and you couldn't find me and- It's not just research; it's real feelings. It's your feelings, and Mom's, too."**

"**Listen to me. You were not insensitive; you thirst for knowledge, just like me, and I gave you the tools to search for it. I've always known you might find something you didn't want to, or that I might not want you to. I hoped you'd never see that video for several reasons, not the least of them being a macho desire never to have any of you see me in the state I was in that day."**

**She hiccupped against his shoulder.**

"**But I always new it was a possibility. Curbing your curiosity, limiting your access to information, was never an option. If I didn't teach you, someone else would have. But we always told you and your siblings that you could always ask or tell us anything, even if it hurts us. I understand that you didn't feel connected to this, that you thought it was just a history lesson, as it were."**

"**I didn't know."**

"**I know; I'm not scolding you. I'm just saying that you don't have to be afraid to talk to us for any reason. I would have told you about the video if I'd thought about it; I was just so intent on giving you the pertinent details that it never crossed my mind. If I'd told you we could have watched it together if you wanted to see it and then maybe this would have been easier for you. I'm sorry."**

**She shook her head.**

"**I'm glad I saw it. I understand now. Everything that happens affects people. It's not just an event in a history book or a newspaper; it involves feelings and real people. Life is not just a movie."**

**He smiled.**

"**You'd be shocked if you knew how long it took me to realize that. I once compared an unborn baby to Luke Skywalker in an effort to make a point, and I was much older than you are now."**

"**Lulu hurt us!" she sobbed. "She was supposed to love us and she took me! I didn't really understand it last night, but then I saw the video and you were so scared and the reporter was holding the picture from my baby book with the dress I wore at my baptism an it wasn't just a family I didn't know; it was you and me!"**

"**I know."**

"**She's back now. She's here again and she could be hurting Mommy!"**

**It was a mark of how upset she was that she was calling Georgie Mommy. She was usually Mom, and Spinelli was more frequently becoming Dad instead of Daddy to his two older kids.**

**He was beginning to think it had been a mistake to tell Kendra about the stalker. He was beginning to think he should have let her continue to ride her bike with her friends as if everything were normal and have her followed, either by himself, Georgie or someone else from Jackal PI, to and from school to make sure she and her friends arrived safely. Or maybe he should have just left it alone. She'd been riding in a group, after all; it wasn't like she'd been riding to and from school alone.**

"**You need to let the grownups worry about that. I know it sounds condescending and I'm sorry about that, but we have the experience to deal with what's happening to your mom. This is not just a case to me; it's personal and I'm not gonna let this fiend, whoever she is, keep torturing your mother. She is going to be found, exposed and stopped."**

"**I'm scared for you and Mom."**

"**I know, and that's another reason I'm determined to put a stop to this. I don't want you and your brother and sisters to be afraid."**

**He knew when she'd spent most of the previous night researching something; her eyes were always red and itchy the next day. It was usually on a night when she didn't have school the next day. He knew she'd been up all night researching her kidnapping. He'd seen her rubbing at her eyes at breakfast.**

"**What else did you find?"**

"**I found the transcripts of the hearing. I read what you told the judge, but they were just words; they could have been written by anyone. But it was your voice in the video; it wasn't just written words and a picture of you."**

**Her voice was a small, apologetic whimper.**

"**You're tired," he said, trying to steer her away from these thoughts. "You need a nap."**

**He smiled slightly as he kissed the top of her head again, remembering the times he'd said that to each of his children when they were small and cranky. Kendra wasn't cranky now; she was upset. But she was crying and he did what he always did for his crying children when no other form of comfort helped. He began to rock her again, and this time he sang to her.**

"**You're the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold. You're Daddy's little girl to have and to hold."**

**She was sleeping peacefully by the time the song was over. He sat against her pillows with her still in his arms until he heard Georgie's car pull into the driveway.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Spinelli smiled at the kids as they greeted him. Georgie studied his face intently over their heads. Something was wrong. Had he finally gotten Kendra to open up about whatever was bothering her?**

"**Where's Kendra?" she asked as he kissed her.**

"**She's upstairs; she's not feeling well."**

**He threw a significant look at the kids.**

"**We brought back ice cream for you and Kendra," Ivy said.**

"**Thank you. I'll have mine after dinner and we can put Kendra's in the freezer until she's feeling better."**

"**Will she get to stay home from school tomorrow?" Maxie asked.**

"**I don't think so; I think she just needs to rest today."**

"**One of those twenty-four hour things?" Georgie asked, going along with the cover story.**

**He nodded.**

"**Why don't you guys go out and play until dinner's ready?" Georgie suggested.**

"**Yeah!" Kevin said excitedly.**

"**Can we take Chewie?" Ivy asked.**

**Georgie nodded.**

**She waited until the kids and the dog were outside and the door was closed before looking toward the stairs.**

"**What happened?"**

"**She found my video plea; it had a profound affect on her. She was so upset! That was what made her kidnapping a reality for her. Seeing me in such a state of fear and helplessness- It was like when she was a baby; I had to rock her and sing to her to calm her down. She fell asleep."**

"**She'd been up all night researching, hadn't she?"**

**Georgie had also noticed her rubbing her eyes that morning.**

"**Yeah, she found the transcript of the hearing, too, before she found the video. She felt so bad for making us relive the kidnapping. She was also asking about Lulu, about the possibility that she's your stalker. She's afraid. I think you were right; I think we should have found some other way to assure her safety instead of asking her to let us drive her to school and back and explaining why."**

"**But you had a point, too. By telling her we've proven that we trust her as the oldest to do what's necessary to protect the younger ones. We did what we thought was best at the time."**

"**We were so preoccupied with the video and the kidnapping that I still don't know what's bothering her."**

"**She may have forgotten about it during the research. I think the reality of her kidnapping and what it did to you might have made her other problem seem more distant for a while."**

"**I don't know if that's good or bad."**

"**I think we'll have to wait and see, but you could try asking her again on the way to school tomorrow."**

**Kendra came down then, looking pale and tired.**

"**You OK?" Spinelli asked.**

**She nodded.**

"**I'm hungry."**

"**Wanna help me with the salad?" Georgie asked. "Or if you want you can go outside and play with Kevin and the girls.**

"**I'll help."**

**Georgie and Spinelli glanced at each other. It was one of those wordless conversations they had with each other when someone else was in the room. Georgie wondered if they should ask her now and Spinelli's response, given with his eyes, was negative. The kids might come back in.**

**Georgie watched Emma closely that night. Sunday dinner with the family was always given at their house by tradition. It was a bit late today because Patrick and Robin had a shift at the hospital. Kendra was uncharacteristically quiet and Emma was pouty. Georgie had a feeling Emma's attitude had nothing to do with Kendra's silence.**

"**Are they fighting?" Robin asked, also looking at their daughters.**

**Georgie explained about seeing Lulu in the park the day before and Kendra's subsequent findings concerning the kidnapping.**

"**Wow," Robin said.**

**She didn't know Georgie was being stalked; she only told her that her reaction to Lulu's sudden reappearance had surprised their kids.**

**Over at the kids' table, Alisa, Patrick and Robin's other daughter, began to cry and stood up. She ran outside. Kendra was looking at Emma reproachfully.**

"**What happened?" Robin asked, walking over to the kids' table as Patrick went outside to talk to Ali.**

"**Emma called Ali a little brat and told her to shut up," Kevin said helpfully around a mouth full of chicken.**

"**Don't talk with your mouth full," Georgie admonished him.**

"**Ali was just asking Kendra about school," Robby, Patrick and Robin's middle child an only son, said, glaring at Emma as he speared a carrot with his fork.**

**He was always protective of his sisters, but when Emma and Ali fought, Robby almost always took Ali's side, unless he knew with absolute certainty that Emma was right.**

"**Emma doesn't wanna talk about school," Maxie said after taking a sip of milk. "I don't blame her. Why think about school during the weekend?"**

"**Ali didn't mean anything," Ivy said. "She was just wondering what big kid school was like."**

"**OK, OK," Emma said defensively, "I'm sorry."**

"**Emma," Robin said.**

"**I said I was sorry!"**

**Her outburst silenced the adults and they all looked over.**

"**What is with you lately?" Robin asked, frustrated.**

"**Forget it! I'll be in the car."**

**She stood up and stormed out of the house, abandoning her nearly full plates; she had only picked at her salad and everything else was untouched.**

"**Emma!" Robin called after her.**

**Emma didn't stop. She slammed the door behind her.**

"**I'm sorry," Robin said to Spinelli and Georgie. That was so rude; it's not like her."**

**Georgie looked at Kendra thoughtfully. Emma was upset. Could what was bothering Kendra have something to do with her?**

"**Are you two fighting?" she asked softly in Kendra's ear.**

**Kendra shook her head. Georgie noticed that her appetite was fairly good, considering how upset she'd been before. Her salad was gone and so was almost all of the rest of her food.**

"**She's not mad at me. I think she thought we were all ganging up on her and she got upset. I don't think she meant to yell at Ali; she just hates school this year and doesn't wanna talk about it. Ali's curiosity got on her nerves, that's all. I don't mean Ali was wrong. I just mean-"**

"**It was nobody's fault," Robin clarified.**

**Kendra nodded.**

"**Why does she hate school?"**

**Kendra looked uncomfortable.**

"**Is it her teachers?" Robin asked.**

**Kendra shook her head.**

"**Is it one of the students?"**

**Kendra's discomfort increased and she looked at her parents as if to ask for help.**

"**Kendra, she won't tell me and you know. I'm her mother; I have a right to know!"**

**Robin's voice was raised now and Chewbacca barked angrily. Georgie understood how he felt; she didn't like Robin's tone.**

"**Don't yell at her," she said.**

"**Then make her tell me what I need to know!"**

"**OK," Spinelli said calmly as he pushed his chair back from the adults' table and walked over to them, "I think we should all just take a deep breath and-"**

"**Tell me to take a deep breath when one of your daughters becomes a stranger!" Robin snapped at him.**

"**Don't yell at my Dad!" Maxie said angrily.**

**She picked up her plate, which was still half full, of the vegetables she didn't like, Georgie noticed with disapproval, and looked as if she might throw it at her aunt.**

"**Maxie!" Georgie and Spinelli said sharply together.**

**Maxie huffed and put the plate down.**

"**Enough!" Joanna said firmly, glaring around the room as she cleared the empty dishes from the kids' table. "Spinelli's right; we're all gonna take a breath and calm down. Children, finish eating so I can clear the rest of your dishes. Robin, little girls go through these phases. Most likely, Emma's having trouble adjusting to a new school. It'll probably sort itself out; just be patient and stop taking out your frustrations on other people who also love her."**

**Georgie smiled gratefully at her stepmother. It had taken her a long time to feel accepted by the extended family. It showed how comfortable she was now that she could speak her mind the way she had just now.**

"**I'm sorry," Robin sighed after a few seconds. "I just don't know what to do for her. She's so moody and distant lately and she won't talk to me or Patrick."**

"**Grandma's right," Kendra said, obeying her grandmother's command and stabbing another fork full of food; she liked to mix all her food together, saying that it gave everything more flavor. "Emma's just having trouble adjusting. She just needs to get comfortable."**

"**Are you comfortable?" Mack asked.**

"**Mostly."**

"**You're still adjusting, too," Nadine said, clearing the empties from the adult table.**

"**Yeah, it's a bigger change than we thought it would be."**

"**It'll get easier," TJ said after swallowing the last of his food. "Every newbie experiences glitches."**

**Everyone grinned at him.**

"**What?" he asked, grinning back, puzzled.**

"**Are you sure you and Spinelli aren't related?" Mack asked, handing Nadine his now empty plate.**

**Spinelli and TJ laughed and the tension was broken. A few minutes later, Patrick came in with Ali and Emma and the girls' fight seemed to have been forgotten. The rest of the dinner, which mostly consisted of desert, was peaceful, but Georgie couldn't help thinking there was more going on than they knew. She hoped Spinelli would be able to get through to Kendra on the ride to school tomorrow.**


	19. Chapter 19

"**I need to talk to you about something Aunt Robin said last night," Spinelli said as he started the car the next day. "She said Emma was becoming a stranger."**

"**Yeah, because she won't tell her and Uncle Patrick what's going on at school and why she's so unhappy."**

"**Yeah, and I know something has been bothering you and you won't tell me. It worries me."**

"**Are you afraid I'm gonna become a stranger, too?"**

**The concept surprised her. Had she really been acting that differently or was this another case of her dad worrying too much?**

"**It happens. Kids begin to pull away from their parents and it often begins around your age. I don't want that to happen with us."**

**Kendra wasn't sure what to say to that. She was being evasive, but it wasn't because she didn't trust her parents or because she wanted to pull away from them. But she didn't know how to explain without betraying Emma's confidence.**

"**I'm not pulling away from you and Mom," she promised. "I would never do that."**

"**Then can't you tell me what's been bothering you?"**

"**I can't, but it's not because I don't want to or that I don't trust you. I don't trust anyone more than I trust you and Mom. The problem is not mine, not directly, and it's not my place to tell you or anyone else."**

**He gave her a troubled look as he stopped for a traffic light.**

"**OK, but I need you to promise me that if it gets too big for you to handle you'll come to me or your mom, whether or not you feel that it's your place."**

"**I promise," she said honestly.**

**But she didn't think it would come to that. She finally had the ammunition she needed to help Emma fight against The Triangle of Terror.**

**She kissed her father when he stopped in front of the school, but turned back before getting out of the car.**

"**Dad?"**

**He was staring out the driver's side window and she knew he was still troubled about her silence. He turned back to her, forcing a smile.**

"**Don't worry about me. I'm OK and I think I know what to do about- about my friend's problem."**

"**OK," he said, and she was relieved to see that now his smile was not forced. He gave her a quick hug, then looked at the clock on the dashboard.**

"**I have to go. Mom will pick you up this afternoon."**

"**OK. I love you."**

"**I love you, too."**

**She got out of the car, closed the door and watched him drive away, feeling a sudden, if brief, surge of anger at Emma for insisting that she keep something from her parents for no other reason than that she was allowing the triangle to get to her. Why couldn't she just accept that Valerie and her friends were snobs and be done with it? Kendra didn't like it either, but she wasn't going to lose any sleep over it. Emma's reactions were what worried her. She seemed to be basing her entire self-worth on whether or not Valerie, Stephanie and Vanessa accepted her and Kendra couldn't understand why. What was so great about those kids? Why was being popular so important to Emma? Kendra had friends, but didn't consider herself popular. To her, popularity meant cheerleading, pep rallies, associating with football players, none of the things she wanted. She was grateful for Emma, Jake and her other friends. Losing Valerie, she discovered, was not as big a loss as she thought it would be. She'd begun to see Valerie this year for the person she was and it was not a favorable picture. Valerie was not someone Kendra would want to call her friend if she could be so mean to Emma just because it made her look good to Stephanie and Vanessa.**

**The reason behind Emma's behavior at dinner last night had been because of some notes that had been passed around the sixth graders the previous Friday. One of them had a picture of Emma crudely drawn below the words, "teacher's pet." Another, with the same words, had an addition to the picture; Emma's math teacher, Mr. White, feeding her a peanut. It was childish and pathetic, but it hurt Emma because the notes were in Valerie's handwriting, and it had been because Valerie had gotten a problem wrong and Mr. White had called on Emma next; she had given the correct answer.**

"**Study once in a while," Kendra thought, glaring at the two-faced little toad across the cafeteria, "and maybe you'll get the answers right the first time and Emma won't have to show you up."**

**But even as she reassured her father that she knew what to do, Kendra had her doubts about what she was considering. She wondered if she should table the idea for a while. But then, during recess, Emma and Kendra had gone to the girls room. Emma wasn't feeling well and Kendra knew why. The Triangle of Terror had passed their table and seen Emma looking at Jake. She still had a crush on him. They had begun teasing both of them. Jake had stood up and glared at them. He had Uncle Jason's eyes and Kendra had seen that glare occasionally directed at her father. She knew Uncle Jason had been Spinelli's boss at one time, but she thought it was wrong of Uncle Jason to continue giving her dad that look now that their roles had been reversed. But it wasn't her place to say, and out of respect for their previous arrangement Spinelli didn't challenge Jason unless absolutely necessary.**

"**Leave us alone," Jake said in a quiet but menacing tone that Kendra had also heard once or twice from Uncle Jason.**

**The triangle looked at him for a moment, then ran over to their table.**

**Emma was mortified. She didn't eat anything for lunch and she had fought hard to keep from crying.**

**Kendra decided to use one of the stalls, too, since she was here and there was nothing she could do for Emma at the moment. Emma appeared to be finished and was catching her breath when the door opened. Kendra peaked out from the opening beneath her stall to see who it was. Of course, it was The Triangle of Terror.**

"**Did you see the way she was mooning over Jake Morgan?" Valerie scoffed as the three of them lit cigarettes.**

"**Yeah," Vanessa said with a giggle.**

"**As if he'd ever even look at her," Stephanie sneered venomously on an exhale of acrid smoke.**

"**Who would?" Valerie asked viciously. "She dresses like a street kid and I bet that isn't even her real hair color."**

**Emma dressed nicely. Uncle Patrick and Aunt Robin allowed her to dress the way she wanted, as long as it was tasteful. Her hair, Kendra knew, was natural; she had the same blonde hair as her mother.**

"**She is so pathetic," Stephanie said.**

"**Total loser," Vanessa agreed, puffing her own smoke and blowing it towards the ceiling.**

"**Why does Jake even hang around with her?" Stephanie asked, putting her cigarette out in the sink.**

"**He couldn't care less about her," Valerie said. "He likes Kendra. Their dads are like best buddies or something; my mom works with them. My dad can't stand either of their dads. Anyway, Kendra's glued to Emma, so Jake just puts up with her so he can hang around Kendra. Jake has this protective thing about her since his dad is friends with hers."**

**Valerie put her cigarette out in a different sink, wet some paper towels and put them over the ashes. Kendra thought she was probably doing it to hide the ashes from prying adults, as if the smell wouldn't let anyone with a nose know someone had been smoking in here. Stephanie and Vanessa didn't care if someone found out; they figured no one would ever know it was them.**

"**Kendra's a brain," Vanessa said. "Why would she wanna hang around dim bulbs like them, especially Emma?"**

"**Emma's her cousin," Valerie said as Vanessa took her last puff.**

"**Ouch," Stephanie said. "Poor Kendra."**

"**Yeah," Valerie said. "If I were Kendra, I'd have ditched both those losers in Kindergarten."**

"**But you used to be friends with them," Stephanie said.**

"**I thought Kendra could use a friend more in her league, but she's made her choice this year. I guess I really can't blame her. I mean, her parents have always had this thing about family sticking together. Her dad and Jake's are like brothers and Emma's her cousin, so she kind of has to be on their side. It's not her fault."**

**That was the last thing they heard before the door closed again. All that was left was the lingering, headache inducing after effects of cigarette smoke.**

**When Emma began to sob, Kendra unlocked the door to her stall, crawled under Emma's and held her tightly. This was the last straw. Kendra's mind was made up and there was no going back. This afternoon, she would put her plan into action.**


End file.
